The Choices We Make
by ManarInMoon
Summary: Snow, a mysterious woman with mad abilities and a strange past. An accident exposes her abilities to SHIELD. They call upon her during a time of war with Asgard's fallen prince, Loki. She alone, discovers what he'd endured during the time he was believed to be dead. She alone, decides to do the last thing anyone wished to do. She alone chooses to help the God of Mischief.
1. 1: Snow

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but my characters, the changes, and upcoming storylines.**

 **(This chapter talks about Snow, who looks like Crystal Reed, and her past ONLY. You don't have to read it if you don't want to. THERE IS A SUMMARY IN BOLD AT THE END. Read that instead. If you read the chapter itself, you don't have to read the summary. BUT YOU MUST READ ONE OF THEM! Thank u 3)**

XXXXXXXXXX

News reporter:  
"…the mysterious **disappearance** of over fifty citizens in the town of Windfell…"

News reporter:

"…police find the investigation to be a **dead end** …"

News reporter:

"…the only survivor, a little **girl** …"

News reporter:

"…the main question;

What **happened** in Windfell?"

XXXXX

 _Charleston, West Virginia, 1993_

 _"_ _The investigation is still ongoing. Our only witness, a twelve-year-old child, who is probably scared out of her mind right now."_

 _"Yes, Caren. I can't imagine what it must be like for her, losing everyone she knows like that."_

 _"What shocks me most, Al, is that she is as clueless about what'd happened as the cops themselves are, and she was there!"_

 _"But where is she now?"_

 _"Redling Orphanage-"_

William shuts down his computer. He hustles up from behind his desk, walking out of his spacious office.

"Linda, grab your coat and come with me," he tells his brunette, middle-aged secretary, whose mind takes a moment to process the sudden demand as the dark-skinned, forty-eight-year-old made haste to the elevator.

She stumbles off her wheeled chair from behind her glass-surfaced desk, struggling to throw the red, long coat over her shoulders as she scuttled, purse in hand, towards the elevator, which her boss held open patiently.

"Where to, sir?" she asked curiously.  
"Redling Orphanage."

XXXXX

For the past four months, Linda had been working for Chase Realty as Mr. Chase's secretary, after his previous one, who'd been with him for three years, had to move to another country for family reasons.

During the time spent with him, Linda couldn't tell much about him other than what most people already knew, and that he liked his coffee sweet.

William Chase was an orphan. He had a troubled childhood, moving from family to another, earning experience as he went on, but never a stable life.

Eventually, when he was old enough, William built his way up from dirt, to the top. He now owned a real estate company, that had many branches in the united states, as well as his famous orphanage, West Line, which he built in hopes of saving homeless children from a life of hardship, pain, and loneliness.

He was a good man, and had earned the respect of all who worked for and with him, including Linda's. However, his decisions were seemingly always vague, but his intentions pure, and his sense of instinct almost never wrong. Linda wished to learn a lot from him.

At the moment however, she was wondering why they were headed towards Redling Orphanage. Was it because of the girl that was talked about on the news? She was eighty percent sure it was.

She understood why William would be going there, but what she didn't understand, is why he asked **her** to come along. It was unusual, for him to ask her to join in his endeavors. He rarely leaves the office anyways, except to visit his orphanage.

"Sir. May I ask why you asked me to come along?" she asks as the car moves smoothly, the driver at the front, and William at her side in the back.

He turns to her, a soft smile on his face, as it always was. His hair short, curled, and rapidly whitening. His dark face freckled with darker spots. Still, he had a bright air about him, in his clean, comfy looking suits.

"Patience, my dear Linda. You will see," he replies calmly. Linda nods somewhat apologetically, the curiosity still eating at her.

Patience. One of the hardest lessons a person could learn, if they ever could.

XXXXX

Soon enough, the car pulls up at the orphanage. Linda and her boss exit, climb up, and into the building.

It was nothing fancy, small, simple. But the reception was nice enough, somewhat decorated, and half-heartedly cleaned. Linda was still wondering what in the world she was doing there.

When the receptionist's eyes fall upon William she smiles brightly. "Mr. Chase! It's a pleasure to have you with us today," she tells enthusiastically.  
"The pleasure is all mine," he starts, quickly eyeing the name tag as he reached to shake hands respectfully, "Mrs. Baxter."

The woman smiles at him once more, then begins to move down the hall as he followed intently, Linda close behind. "She's just down this hall. The others are outside playing. She refused to join, and, honestly, I don't blame her," the woman explained, looking back at them momentarily, as if sharing sympathy, "Poor girl. I don't know how anyone could have survived that. It's very nice of you to offer to do this, Mr. Chase. I'm sure she'll more than appreciate it."

But William wasn't looking for appreciation. It was never about publicity. When the press finds out about this though, he'll never hear the end of it, but it wasn't about them either. Never about them.

XXXXX

William walks through the wood-made double doors. Up to twenty beds were in said room, and at the very end, by a sole window, was her.

"Snow. There's someone here to see you, dear," the woman calls.

Snow stays her silence.

She was sick of it.

The meetings. The press. The questions.

All of it.

They didn't care. She could feel it. They just wanted a story.

Her pain,

her sorrow,

it didn't matter.

William understands her silence.

He **understands**.

The older man takes small steps towards her, as the two women stand by the door.

She was pale by nature, but even more so now. Her dark, soft hair. A sad mess. Her clothes. Over-sized, and worn out, clearly not her own. Her chocolate-brown eyes, fixated on the window, flashes of memories before them as her young mind attempted to comprehend her uncomprehend able situation.

William crouches down beside her, looking out the window as well, witnessing the other children play, attempting to predict what the girl beside him thought of that view. He turned his eyes to hers, which were far and in a distant place,

and he realized just how much she would need his help.

"What a day, huh?" he starts, a smile decorating his graceful features.

His opening confused the young girl slightly. She wasn't expecting it.

"Almost feels… **heavy** …Doesn't it?" he asks, hoping to get her talking. She stays silent,

but he knows

she's listening intently.

He carries on his attempts. "The fear. The pain

…The frustration."

Snow's eyes grow teary. Not because he was bothering her, or pressuring her, like everyone else seemed to be doing lately,

but because he was **right**.

And, more importantly,

he was **genuine**.

"I lost my mom and dad too," he shares,

and alas,

she turns to him.

He holds his smile, and explains. "Car accident…It

…took a while

to **accept** …"

...

"Did it stop?"

she asked quietly, voice hoarse,

broken.

William furrows his eyebrows at her.

"…The **pain**?" she utters, sole tears sliding down her cheeks as she felt her chest squeeze uncontrollably, and her head spin.

William feels his heart sink at her question. **Experiencing** pain, and **watching** someone endure it were two very different things. He thought carefully about his next words.

"…With **time** , and **friends**

…Yes

…It did," he assured firmly, nodding.

The child across him does not have the strength to hold it all in anymore, as if her dying heart recognized William as a source of comfort, even if miniscule. She loses control and begins to sob heatedly.

William, knowingly, pulls her into his arms. "There you go. It's okay," he comforts, rubbing up and down her shivering back. "It's alright.

You're not alone anymore."

XXXXX

 _Charleston, West Virginia, 1994_

West Line Orphanage was a state of the art building. Constructed with up to eighty rooms, three floors, staff dorms, and a massive playground surround by natural sights, built near the adjacent forest.

That was where Snow was to stay for the while to come. William had been keeping a close eye on her, considering her emotional state after what had happened, he wanted to make sure she'd find the ability to fit in,

and,

eventually,

move on with her life.

However, William was constantly on the move, so, on several occasions, he'd send his young, and friendly secretary, who he knew had a motherly side, Linda, to keep him informed, and make the girl feel safe.

At first, Linda found this slightly irritating. She didn't sign up for babysitting when she got the job.

But, she didn't mind as much as she thought she would.

Snow.

For the first few months, she was quiet. Mostly by herself. Still trying to accept her new life.

To accept what had happened…

The other kids weren't making it easier for her. They didn't bully her per se. Occasionally mock her, yes. But, really, the problem was her. She just didn't feel like she belonged there.

It wasn't home.

Snow was an only child. Her parents had been trying so hard, and when they finally succeeded, when they finally had a baby, they cherished her with all their hearts. Gave her so much care, and love, and attention.

And so,

all of a sudden,

all of that was gone.

Like someone had taken the one thing that had mattered most to her, and she could never get it back.

When Linda explained the situation to William, he himself began visiting the girl, trying to get her to open up, to make things easier.

And,

though slowly,

it was working.

XXXXX

Three months later, things were looking up. Though there were only three people that Snow had trusted most,

it was enough.

There was miss Sally, one of the caregivers. She was always nice to Snow, and would keep the other kids at bay.

Most importantly, Snow, despite not being able to explain it, could literally **feel** that Sally's kindness was genuine, every time they'd **touch**. Snow could tell. Sally wasn't doing it as an **obligation** , she was doing it because she actually cared. And, during that time, Snow really needed that. Snow also knew, as fact, that Sally had no ulterior motives, like the news reporters that interviewed during the incident, the ones that just wanted a story to tell.

Then there was Linda, who was always full of energy, and quite talkative when it came to kids. She would start, and Snow would always end up talking,

and,

eventually,

laughing.

Last, yet foremost,

there was William.

His wisdom and keen eye had managed to deduce that Snow was of strong senses. She was open minded, and brilliantly intellectual.

She enjoyed his company **most** , mainly because he treated her like an adult. And what child doesn't like being treated as a grown up?

However, it was because of his keen eye and intellect that **he** was the one to notice first.

Her

… **abilities**.

They were small incidents, happening every now and then.

It was a rough day at work for William. A heavy corporation problem with the sales. The next day, he visited the orphanage, still bothered by the issue. He looked the place over as usual, then retired to playing chess with Snow, their favorite hobby. While arranging the pieces, their hands had accidently touched.

She froze and furrowed her eyebrows at him,

stating

that he was upset,

as a **fact**.

Her words weren't the problem, it was **when** they were said that had caught his curiosity.

The second they **touched**.

…Why?

She then asked him if he was okay.

He confirmed so

and shook the topic off.

That was the **first** time he'd noticed.

It happened at least two more times,

and he'd never dared ask her about it.

If it was just him and his imagination, he wouldn't want to put any ideas in her head, until he was sure of whatever there was to be sure of.

XXXXX

It was the annual Hike Day in West Line. They were right next to a forest, so they used that advantage to show the children some greenery, teach them to follow orders, and work as a team.

But Snow?

She hated it…

The last time she was out in such greenery,

was the day her parents died.

Just a few minutes before, to be precise.

Snow and her family were used to having occasional picnics.

The day was clear. The sun, warm.

There was laughter,

so much of it.

No one ever could have guessed what was to come.

It started

with a **voice** ,

calling her.

Snow.

She didn't know why.

She didn't know how.

But she'd found that she'd followed that voice, to an area not so far into the forest,

or so she thought.

The memory was vague. Unclear. She only remembered one thing.

A **stone**. Small. Round. It's surface gold of color…and seemed to move before her eyes, like a lava lamp.

That was the last thing she saw before she'd lost conscious,

and awoken

to find

that,

where her parents once sat,

… **dust** …

…Nothing but **dust**.

…She had every right to dislike the orphanage's hike day. And as it went on. As she tried not to think. As she tried to smile. To push past the pain.

She heard it…

That voice.

That damned voice again.

A **whisper**.

Speaking her name.

She would have called it her imagination. But she could hear it as clear as day!

Could it be **real**?

She had to be sure.

…And that was when they'd lost her.

A few minutes into the hike, William himself taking lead, one of the caregivers were taking a count of all those present.

When they realized she was missing, William couldn't help but panic slightly. The trail they followed was safe, but if she'd wandered **off** trail…not so safe.

He ordered the caregivers to return with the children, while he attempted to find her, trying heartedly to keep his fears and concerns for the precious girl at bay.

He needed to find her before wolves started crawling out of their den for a fierce hunt.

…However…

They found **him**.

A lone wolf stood directly in front of William, growling threateningly. Ears pulled back. Grey hairs standing to give the wild beast more volume.

Then

…it jumped.

William's eyes squeezed shut reflexively. He fell to the ground,

…opened his eyes,

and…

Nothing…

Nothing but **dust** falling to the ground.

He heard sobbing from beside him, and snapped to see Snow, crying her eyes out.

So scared,

she was sure to faint.

William scuttled off his feet to her. He pulled the child into his arms and shushed her softly as he attempted to comprehend what had just happened.

And that was when it hit him.

Suddenly,

the line between reality,

and myth,

blurred in his vision.

He saw.

He believed.

And he'd be a fool to ignore it. It would cause **her** more harm than him.

The incident of Windfell

…The death of all those people

…It was because of **her**

…Of what she was capable of…after she touched it.

That **stone**.

He didn't know about the stone. But he knew about her powers now.

Even though he was confused. Even though he was scared. He could tell, it was much, much worse

for her.

That day, he made the decision.

She was just a child. She wasn't aware what she was capable of.

But that didn't make her any less dangerous.

She couldn't stay with the other kids anymore, William decided.

And so, he took her in.

As his own to keep safe.

As his own to raise.

…As his own to **train**.

XXXXX

 _Charleston, West Virginia, 2007_

Years passed. It was difficult to adjust, at first, for both Snow and William,

but that quickly changed.

They had too much in common for things to stay complicated.

William's house was in a remote place. He was no fan of crowds, or the nagging of the press. He preferred the quiet.

It was fortunate too, because the two-story house with the big back yard, made things a lot easier when it came to the **main** reason the two merged lives.

It was time to come out with the truth…Well…half of it.

William attempted to comprehend the situation from the girl first,

but she knew nothing.

She understood nothing.

So,

it was up to him to figure things out.

The horror in her eyes…It was what encouraged him every day.

To help her.

To be there for her.

And with the time that had passed,

they grew closer.

William had never thought about settling down, or never found the chance,

but watching Snow grow

right before his eyes

…It meant a lot

…for the both of them.

Time may not have shown all of her powers, but it showed the most evident, and the most dangerous.

A small,

but **lethal** list.

First, there was the **emotional connection** she had with the people she touched. Soon enough, and with practice, she'd found that she could **communicate** with them as well. Not mentally per se. In truth, they still weren't sure what it was, or **where** it was she went when she would speak to someone, as William himself, even if he was all the way back at the company.

Then, there were the things they'd discovered together. Apparently, she could conjure **force-fields**. It came in handy when there were logs to push.

She could also **heal** things, like wounds, wilting plants, and herself. It was the only ability she didn't completely despise.

Oh, and **flying**. She loved that. But, unfortunately, was unable to use it most of the time. Apparently, it **wasn't** okay for passing planes to see a flying human being.

And last, the **dust**. Now that was almost unexplainable,

but it **happens**.

This one ability

took the most out of her time.

To control it, keep it in check,

but,

mostly,

learn how **not** to use it.

Because,

at some point,

she'd figured it out…

 **She** was the reason her parents were **gone** ,

or, at least,

that was how she saw it.

No matter how many times William would try to convince her otherwise.

She was never convinced.

Deep down,

she was scared of herself

…Deep down

…she **hated** herself.

And that feeling

...stuck with her

…for the rest of her life.

XXXXX

Days pass, and the time they didn't spend training, they spent bonding, even if unintentionally.

She'd brought color to his life. Going home to find someone waiting for him, meant a lot.

She'd indulge herself in many hobbies, but only stuck to a few.

Cooking was one of the things she was naturally good at. She knew she got that from her mother.

Reading. That was new. She picked it up from William himself. And it became her favorite. But she wasn't into the fantasy, fake stuff. Knowledgeable books were her cup of tea. Theories. Biographies. Shakespeare's foreign language!

And then there was the company. The more Snow came of age, the more William had her over at the company, teaching her all about the business.

Why?

Because, as she came of age, so too did **he**. William was never one of strong health as a child, due to the harsh environments he was put in.

He knew it was only a matter

of **time**.

The company.

He could have anyone as successor,

but he wanted it to be Snow. He knew she was sensitive when it came to the people she loved

…when it came to losing them.

He didn't want to be a weigh on her shoulders.

He'd give it all to her,

so

when he was gone,

something would hold her up

…Something would keep her sane.

XXXXX

 _Charleston, West Virginia, 2010_

It happened.

Third of July, 2010

…She lost him…

Pained.

Hurt.

Alone…

She mourned,

for a whole year,

leaving the company in the hands of Linda.

Shocked?

Not as much as she should have been.

As if he'd been preparing her, without her consent,

for that very day.

Still.

It was too painful.

The house…

Everything reminded her of him.

It was too much.

She tried…

…She couldn't.

So…

She moved.

To a small apartment in a regular building-block. Running the company from under the shadows…just like he'd asked her to.

XXXXX

 _Charleston, West Virginia, 2011_

It was only the year after, when she was discovered by S.H.E.I.L.D.

She was on a business trip in another state. An accident had occurred on the bridge she was driving on. A lumber truck tumbled over.

An entire school bus of children, would have drowned into the lake, had she not risked

exposing herself

for their lives.

But **exposed**

…she was.

For a while, they only kept tabs on her,

and when Nick felt she had what it took,

he revealed himself to her.

He introduced himself, and what he stood for. He gave her an offer,

to work with him,

to save people's lives,

to become a **hero**

…and she refused it.

Snow was afraid of what she was capable of. She didn't know where her limits lied. If she'd have agreed. If she went on missions,

and lost control

…If she hurt someone

…She'd never be able to live with herself.

Nick was expecting her refusal. He didn't hold it against her though.

He had something else in mind for her. Something far bigger and far more important. Something that, when the time was right

…he knew

…she wouldn't refuse.

XXXXXXXXXX

 **(This is the SUMMARY. Do Not Read if you've already read the chapter. Read if you haven't.)**

 **Snow. Born in a town called Windfell. An incident occurred in that town, that resulted in the mysterious disappearance of more than fifty people, including her parents, but not her.**

 **What happened? Well, Snow was with her parents that day. She heard a voice call her name and followed it to a strange, golden-colored stone. She fainted, directly after touching it. Then she woke, to dead parents, and dead townspeople.**

 **A man named William Chase, owner of the branches of a real estate company called Chase Realty, and a famous orphanage named West Line, which he had built, because he was an orphan himself once upon a time.**

 **With time, the two grew close. He discovered her powers, which were:** _ **Emotions-reading**_ **.** _ **Communicating**_ **with others, supposedly mentally.** _ **Force-fields**_ **.** _ **Flying**_ **.** _ **Healing**_ **and turning living things to** _ **Dust**_ **.**

 **He took her in. Kept her safe and protected. Taught her how to control her powers, and raised her as his own.**

 **When he died, the company was passed down to her. On a business trip, Snow's powers had been exposed as she attempted to save a drowning school bus full of children, using her powers.**

 **People quickly dismissed the rumor that few actually saw, but S.H.I.E.L.D. never forgot. Nick Fury himself had met with Snow once, telling her all about S.H.E.I.L.D, and offering her a chance to work with him that she refused. So he kept her in mind for other, bigger things.**

XXXXXXXXXX


	2. 2: Initiation

_Charleston, West Virginia, 2012_

It was a day like any other for Snow. She was driving back to her apartment from the company, bored as could be. The tension wasn't helping either. This unexplainable feeling of guilt.

But she knew the cause. Oh, she knew well.

The news. She hated it. Utterly despised it. It always made her feel bad. The accidents. The kidnappings. The murders.

She hears it, and that one thought always lands. The thought that always started with _'I could've'_ and ends with _'stopped it'_.

Funny, how much she despised it. Still, she turned it on, every day. As if her subconscious mind was trying to convince her to get out there. That she could do more than sit in the office all day.

That she **should** do more.

But, she was scared. Not of what was out there,

but herself.

Snow pulled over next to the curb, got out of her car, shutting the door, and her mind, behind her. She greets Mrs. Kettles, who lived on the ground floor and owned a small garden.

Snow makes her way up to her apartment tiredly, in desperate need of a steaming cup of tea.

Snow digs out her keys from her bag. She is about to unlock the door,

but she stops.

She couldn't hear anything, and hadn't seen anything, but she could **feel** ,

someone was inside.

Snow panics slightly, unsure what to expect.

Whoever it was had picked a really bad time to break in, and had the worst luck ever, breaking into Snow's apartment of all beings on earth.

Snow unlocks her door cautiously, stepping into her regular-sized apartment. She eyes around hurriedly.

Then, her eyes fall on the intruder, and she relaxes, just a bit.

"Director Fury," she utters, tossing her bag and keys on the coffee table. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" she asks plainly.

Nick smirks, straightening from leaning on the counter in her kitchen. "The pleasure is all mine, Miss White," he replies casually, not like he broke into her apartment or anything. "Hope life's been serving you well," he resumes, turning behind her green-colored arm chair, resting both hands on its back, staring at her intently with his eye, smiling calmly.

Snow refrains from rolling her eyes at his placidness. As if their last meeting was pleasant. She crosses her arms formally. "How about we skip the small-talk, and you tell me why you're really here?" she hints.

Fury smirks once more, nodding slightly. He turns to her bookcase. She studies him carefully, trying to get any of what he was setting off as he fiddled with some of the books she'd bought. "What's your intake on Norse Mythology, Miss White?" he asks.

Snow cocks an eyebrow at his odd question, which immediately clicks something in her mind. "Like the supposed Thor from Mexico last year?" she inquires, making Nick grin.

"Glad to see you're catching up with the world. Do you believe it?" he asks, approaching the chair once more.

Snow hadn't read many books about Norse Mythology, or much books related to myth in general. Though the videos published, and the events in Mexico did catch her interest, Snow learned not to believe everything she heard or saw.

"Technology can do wanders these day. Just ask Tony Stark. Anyone can fake a video about a Norse God, Director," she notes plainly.

Like the whole world of course, Snow had heard of the great Tony Stark. From what she'd seen on the news and the internet, he was a brilliantly smart man, generous in most cases, and devilishly handsome, which she found a little exaggerated.

She respected him though. His brains. His strengths. From the battles he'd fought, she'd never seen him back out of one, and, considering his adversaries, it was saying something.

He did have several undermining qualities as well, the biggest, form what she'd seen, being his arrogance, and recklessness.

Now, after seeing what he was capable of, with the world's strongest suit of armor so far, it wouldn't come as a surprise, to expect what had happened in Mexico, to have been feigned.

Norse gods? It was a tad bit too much.

Fury leans in on the chair, seriously this time. "What if I told you, that what you saw, what you heard, was very, **very** real. Like you. Like myself," he tells.

Snow is really confused now. "What is this about, Director?"  
"It's about his brother,

Loki."

At that, Snow can't help but chuckle slightly. "Are you serious?" she asks sarcastically.

"Do you see me laughing?" he retorts coldly, baffling her.

Fury reaches into his long, black, leather coat and pulls out a file. He hands it to her. She takes it warily, opening up to see a picture

of a man

with ghastly-white features, slick, ink-black hair.

His eyes.

They were a combination of bright colors. Blue. Green. Grey.

But that wasn't what had caught Snow's attention. It was, possibly, the hint of

 **madness**

inside them.

Confused as it was, Snow caught sight of the other picture pinned in. An oddly glowing, blue cube.

Fury sees her observing it, and begins to explain. "It's called the Tesseract. Carries an immense amount of power. **Uncontrollable** power. In the hands of a mentally-unstable being," he tells.

She turns back to him, and catches the exhaustion flash across his eye. Was he really being serious?

"Loki is currently on the loose-"

Having heard enough crazy, Snow cuts Nick off, closing the file and placing it on the table. "Fury. How…What exactly do you want me to do?" she asks, a hint of refusal already evident in her voice.

Nick hastily attempts to explain. "We're working on apprehending him. When we do. The only roll I will require of you, Miss White, is to estimate him. Find out what he's planning. Find out what he's capable of," he tells as she listens intently, still working on believing what she was hearing.

"I don't read minds, Fury. And I doubt concluding his emotions will help you with anything," she states, trying to ignore that she was talking about a mythical person.

But Fury already knows this. In truth, the estimation was just to give her a **push**. Nick was well aware she was powerful. He was also well aware that Loki was too.

Deep down, and though he'd never say, Nick was afraid of what was to come. He needed all the help he could get.

Snow wasn't easy, he knew, so he'd take it step by step with her, in hopes of stopping a catastrophe.

In hopes of keeping the world safe.

"It could help us more than you know. Look," he started, taking another turn as he approached her, a more honest turn, something he was sure she'd appreciate. "The last thing I want, is to force you into doing anything, Miss White. But I am asking you, as a man who wants the sun to rise tomorrow, to do this small, simple task, and be right back on your way to what I'm sure is an interesting life."

Snow was slightly taken aback by his change of tone, and the depth of his words.

It seemed unbalanced, what she had to do, against what would happen if she wouldn't. As if it being semi-unreal wasn't enough.

But, she was real, wasn't she?

Magic? She wasn't sure.

She wasn't sure what she **had**. She wasn't sure **what** she was.

The point?

If she could exist,

why can't **he**?

A million thoughts spun around her head. Doubts. Concerns. Fears.

Was the Norse god's threat bigger,

or hers?

The risks.

It was hard.

Preposterously difficult.

To **choose**.

But, eventually,

the **Should** ,

out-weighed the **Would**.

XXXXX

Two days later, Snow had found herself on what S.H.E.I.L.D called the Helicarrier. It was a gigantic, highly-secured aircraft. The base of their operations. A flying fortress.

Snow was greeted by agent Maria Hill, whom she'd met only once before, when Fury first introduced his cause.

Along the way, Maria explained that they'd managed to apprehend Loki alas. And that Snow would be meeting with a few other select people put on the mission.

Snow wasn't surprised to hear that Tony would be there, but Captain America, and Bruce Banner, AKA, the Hulk, those two surprised her.

She didn't know much about Banner, but was well aware of his reputation as an exceptional scientist, and…well…the other thing.

As for Cap, she'd only heard stories about him. Bits and pieces she remembered from William and Linda, who considered him their childhood hero, and she'd learned to do the same.

However, neither were as shocking as the supposed presence of the God of Thunder himself, who had shown up after the apprehension of Loki.

It was a lot to take in, and took a lot of courage to prepare for. Those were serious people.

But,

then again,

so was she.

She was offered a temporary room, and was to wait in said room, until called upon. Fortunately, patience was a strong virtue of hers.

During that time, she'd thought about everything that had happened. How her life suddenly took a spin down a road she'd shut down before.

Why was she even here? Why did she agree? She would have been at the office about then, just sitting, signing contracts, reading emails, sipping coffee, chatting with Linda.

Instead, here she was, on foreign territory, unable to comprehend what she was about to walk into, **who** she would face, what she would do.

But a reason. Yes. There was a reason.

She told herself, she was doing the right thing, agreeing to help Fury, hoping it really was for a good cause. Not like she trusted Nick. Not like anyone trusted Nick.

And that was when he himself showed up at her door, and beckoned her to follow.

XXXXX

Walking down a hall, with Fury by her side, and into what appeared to be a meeting room, Snow was greeted by a sight hard to grasp, specifically Cap in uniform, and Thor…in general.

She recognized Tony, and assumed the man he was shaking hands with was Bruce. There was one other person, a red-head, that Snow was completely unfamiliar with.

For Natasha, that was the point.

Snow picked up pieces from the conversation that had been running, as her and Nick approached the group.

"…Your work, on the Anti-Collisions Theory, is **unparalleled** ," said Tony to Bruce. "And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous, green, rage-monster."

Snow could see Banner's reluctance at Tony's shameless confession. "…Thanks…" Bruce replies uncertainly.

Nick rolls his eyes at Tony's expected behavior. "Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you might join him," Fury states. Tony nods half-heartedly at that, eyeing Snow with curiosity.

{Author speaking: You should know that I'm working on a Tony OC that is directly related to Loki's. So, for the stories' sake, Tony is currently single. Instead of kissing after arguing, Pepper simply left as she said she would at the end of (Iron Man 2).}

Fury turns to Snow, gesturing to her with his arm. "This is Miss White. She's here to assist in determining Loki's plans and intentions," he introduces, reverting to Thor, who studies Snow in slight confusion, wondering what Nick thought a mere mortal could do to get his stubborn brother to open up.

"Miss White. This is Thor. Loki's brother," he tells, though she'd already figured that out.

Fury thought it best to introduce her, make her feel comfortable, mainly in hopes of getting her to stick around longer.

Snow nods in courtesy at him, about to shake his hand. Instead, he smiles warmly at her, takes her hand, and places a kiss on her knuckles, making her smile nervously and blush slightly, still working on believing he was actually here.

Though Snow had her boundaries, she understood that Thor's were a little different. Nevertheless, she took advantage of the moment,

and **connected** to him.

Using her powers, Snow caught the most obvious and most abundant emotions Thor was feeling at that moment, in descending order:

Concern,

most likely for his sibling.

Worry. Slight frustration. Nervousness. And fear.

Of course,

he was none-the-wiser about what had just happened.

Tony caught it differently, he wasn't completely aware that this was Thor's way of greeting people, he thought he was flirting, and sought to challenge it.

"Dr. Banner," Nick resumes. Bruce presents himself, and shakes her hand semi-casually.  
"Hi," he utters as she smiles back, picking up on a lot of nervousness, anxiety, tension, fear, and worry.

Without waiting for an introduction, Tony walks up next, putting a hand out, signature smirk plastered on. "Tony Stark. Pleasure," he stated, looking at her a way she understood all too well, an obvious flirt attempt, making her cock as if a warning eyebrow that he understood but brushed off anyways.

"Pleasure's all mine, Mister Stark," she replied placidly, making sure not to give off any attraction signs.

Simply not her type.

When their hands collided, Snow couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows slightly. She was surprised to find that his most evident emotion,

was **fear**.

Which only meant one thing.

The humor,

the jokes.

Just a defense mechanism.

And it was that fear, among other things he felt, that surprisingly eased Snow's tension, knowing she wasn't the only one going out of her mind just then.

Her expression perplexed Tony, but he didn't get the chance to ask what was wrong when she turned away and Steve stood to shake hands with her courtly, smiling politly at her.

From Steve, all she could pick up, was the slight nervousness, concern,

yet,

a grand determination

to get something done.

Good to see **someone** was eager.

"Agent Romanoff," Fury introduced, gesturing to the red-head, who shook hands with Snow quickly.

Okaaay,

not that friendly.

Because it was quick, Snow only managed to sense concern,

quite a lot of it.

After being introduced to everyone, and estimating them secretly, Snow stood back, eyeing them all with a new perspective. Fortunately, she found that she could get along with all of them quite well. And, knowing them better, she was, indeed, more comfortable now.

"So, not to be a jerk, or anything," starts Tony, "but, how exactly is Miss White supposed to 'estimate' the **demi-god**. What makes you think he'll talk to **her**? No offense, of course," he states, smirking, whilst speaking what was on everyone else's mind as well.  
"None taken," Snow smiles dismissively.  
"Miss White has…certain abilities. He won't have to talk. Will he, Miss White?" Nick explains, confusing them further, all but the two other females present: Maria, and Nat, who were filled in on Snow's abilities long ago.  
"What is that supposed to mean?" asks Thor worriedly.

Fury turns to her, smiling as if proudly, motioning for her to do the honors. Snow smiles as well, getting a slight rush of adrenaline.

She stood forward, as if stepping onto a stage. Luckily, she was a CEO. Stepping on the stage was her weekly routine. "One of the things I am capable of, is reading emotions. And I don't mean like a psychologist or a therapist, I mean, I can **literally** read emotions," she states.

At that, Tony scoffs. And to think he had a thing for her.

They turn to him irritably, even though they too weren't buying it, but Steve was wondering why Tony had to be so rude.

Starks.

"Sorry. Just. Find that a **little** hard to believe," Tony tells.

It wasn't like she expected them to believe her that quickly.

But honestly, after demi-gods, Banner wouldn't be that surprised. If anything, he'd be impressed.

"Prove it," Bruce told.  
"Yeah. Prove it," Tony agreed, and it was like a classroom full of silly teenagers all of a sudden.

Fury smirked, highly amused for how wrong Tony was about to be. "Okay," she simply agreed. "But I can't promise you'll like what I have to say," she warned. They didn't care.

Snow first turned to Tony. "Fear," she uttered,

and at just that,

Tony's face fell,

like he'd suddenly been exposed,

and didn't like it.

"That's all I'm getting off of you," she resumes.

Wanting to keep this as quick and as painless as possible, Snow was aware of the looks Tony was getting, so she hurriedly switched to the next person to limit from his embarrassment.

She then turned to Bruce. "Anxiety. Fear.

Fear of **yourself** ,"

she trailed, concentrating her eyes as she attempted to put two and two.

She looked to Steve. "Determination.

Concern.

You don't just want this over.

You want to **win.**

…Thor. Concern. Worry.

Care.

For your brother, I presume.

…Agent," she turned to Nat, who was glaring warily. Snow was sure to be careful with her. "I don't know who you lost. But I hope you get them back," she tells, making the red-head's eyes go slightly wider.

The room falls quiet. No one wanted to confirm Snow's assumptions, because they were as right as they were embarrassing, exposing for most.

But they were **right**.

So

no one spoke against it either.

Fury looks at their faces, and smiles. _'wait till they see what else she can do,'_ he thinks. "I think enough has been said," he says. "Agent Coulson," he calls.

Phil steps forth, a soft smile graced his calm features. Snow remembered him from their past meeting as well. He seemed like a nice man.

"Escort Miss White to the **cell**."  
"Yes sir," Phil complies.

XXXXXXXXXX


	3. 3: Victim

Footsteps.

Loud.

Her own feet.

Everything was **so** loud.

Her heartbeats.

She was sure she could hear them.

 _'_ _Breathe, Snow,'_ she thought to herself.

Longest two-minute walk of her life.

Maybe if she thought of it differently. For example: She **wasn't** about to meet with the **God of Mischief** , from a **mythical** realm, all **powerful** and supposedly **evil**!

Let's say, she was at the company, about to meet with a **difficult** client. She could do that. Yes, she could.

"Miss White," called Phil, thankfully snapping her out of it. She turned to the agent in compliance. "You should know, Loki has one of our most trusted agents, Barton. He knows about you. Which means there's probably a high chance Loki does too," he tells.

Snow tenses at that, nodding understandingly, unsure what she ought to do with that bit of information. Should she feel threatened? Neutral?

Stopping, Snow's lost attention averts to the metallic, slide-door in front of her, two armed guards on either sides of it.

Phil turns to the key-card slot. He looks to Snow momentarily, sympathizing her probable nervousness. "You ready?" he asks, smiling warmly. Snow turns to him, slightly dazed. She smiles back and nods dismissively. How calm Phil seemed put her at ease, and she appreciated it.  
"Yeah."

And at that, Coulson slides in his card,

and the door opens.

Snow swallows anxiously. She cautiously steps into the room, noting the two guards on the inside, as well as the camera stationed near the door. The others were watching eagerly.

A few more steps, and she sees it, the huge, reinforced-glass cell,

and him,

 **Loki** ,

stationed inside.

All she could see, was his back. Broad, pointed. Not as big as his brother's,

yet,

somehow,

 **more** threatening.

The ends of his jet-black, shoulder-length hair seemed almost **sharp**.

The way his hands clenched behind his back.

His attire.

If Grim Reapers existed, he was sure to be one. Intimidating, was an understatement.

 _'_ _Let's just get this over with,'_ her mind uttered hastily.

As she made her way to the front of the cell,

he smirked to himself,

knowing exactly who this was.

Loki turned slowly, causing her to freeze in place, crossing her hands over her chest as if placidly, intent on showing no fear as he gazed into her eyes with his piercing ones.

No fear.

Or, at least she tried.

"Snow, I presume," he spoke.

His voice alone, was enough to send cold shivers up her spine.

XXXXX

 _Meeting Room_.

"Wait a second. Her first name is **Snow**? Snow White?!" exclaims Tony, something Nat and Bruce also found amusing.

This catches Steve's curiosity for a moment, but it quickly washes away considering the seriousness of the situation. He knew, it was a habit of the Starks to find the joke in anything. That didn't mean he liked it though.

Nick rolls his eyes at Tony. "Thank you for that, Mister Stark," he notes sarcastically as Tony grins.

XXXXX

 _Holding Cell_

"I was hoping we would meet," says Loki.

That one statement, brought back much of Snow's welting confidence, as if reminding her **who** she was, **what** she was capable of.

She smiles slightly, earning his undivided attention. "You should be careful what you wish for," she told, making him full out grin in excitement.

Clint was vague when he spoke of her, mainly because he didn't know much, other than the fact that Fury considered her his **secret weapon** , earning Snow the God of Mischief's vast interest.

"So tell me, Snow," he stressed, as if challenging her by using her first name, causing her to squint her eyes suspiciously, "what will you do now?" he asked, wanting to see what all the fuss was about.

Honestly, so were the others.

Without uttering another word, Snow stepped forward, him watching her like a hawk. She climbed the few steps to the cell's door, causing the viewers, including Nick, to tense.

And, without words, she stepped **through**

the closed door.

Up until that very moment, the others hadn't fully believed she was anything special. Though her assumptions of their current emotions were right, it didn't fool them still. It wasn't enough.

But this?

Taking a few steps back, Loki watches with fascination as she turns to him placidly, unable to help the pride she felt for herself when she'd seen his face.

But she wasn't here to show off.

Snow strolled calmly towards him, hyper-vigilant. He stood tall as she approached him, stopping a foot off.

He knew well, he could retaliate at any moment. She was inside, nothing between them,

nothing could stop him.

If he wanted to,

he could have killed her,

just then.

But what he wanted, was to see, just what she was capable of. No harm, so long as it doesn't interfere with his plan.

She let three seconds pass, before she took action towards something he didn't expect.

She placed both her palms on his chiseled face, confusing him greatly, but the confusion quickly passed

when he felt,

an **intrusion**.

She felt it rush through her.

So much of it.

So much **fear**.

 **Horror**.

It was awful.

So much,

it made her tear up,

before he grasped her by the throat,

and shoved her into the wall.

After being overwhelmed with his emotions, Snow's vision refocused to a wrathful Loki,

and a difficulty breathing.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" he shouted.

XXXXX

"Thor! Wait!" yelled Nick after the rushing-down-the-hall Thor. No more would die at the hands of his brother. **His** responsibility.

No more.

The others, quite concerned as well, follow Thor and Nick down the hall, all feeling that same rush of time.

Time.

"OPEN THIS DOOR!" Thor screams at the honestly frightened guard.

Nick pushes past them, and opens it indeed.

XXXXX

Coming back to her senses, Loki notes the flash of light through Snow's eyes, before he'd been pushed across the room

with an

 **immense**

force.

The others come in hurriedly, to a much different sight of Loki on the ground and her somehow victorious.

Nick sees that Phil is standing by the control panel, debating opening it, gun aimed at the door. He panics, about to shout 'no', but Snow beats him to it.

She catches sight of them, especially Thor, who was readily swinging around his hammer. "DON'T!" she warned as Loki scuttled to his feet, looking to see several of his expected adversaries now within the room.

He turns back to Snow hastily, quite clearly readying to attack. She raises her hands in surrender hurriedly.

The tension was as thick as a **fog**.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she states firmly.

Still, about to retaliate, Snow's next statement strikes Loki in the chest.

"Just…

What happened to you?"

she inquires sorrowfully.

Loki's eyes go wide, a wave of fear, that godforsaken fear that comes and goes, rushing through him.

He feels broken.

Hopeless. He knows it is. All of it.

But Shh!

 **He** could hear them!

"I…don't know…what you're talking about," he utters, as if pleading her not to ask again.

And she sees it.

It was so clear now, the horror in his eyes. His mask had fallen.

And in that moment. Snow felt something rush into her form. A sudden sense of **determination** she couldn't quite understand.

She stands tall. The others still wary, extremely.

Thor was furiously confused. He couldn't comprehend the unfolding scene, and **needed** to know what was going on. NOW!

Everyone else was just worried.

Worried he'd hurt Snow.

Worried he'd escape.

Worried.

But Snow.

She could see more. More than any of them could.

Loki…

was not the problem.

She lets her raised hands fall, nodding carefully. "Okay," she starts,

him **too** confused,

to comprehend.

"I… **understand** ," she stresses, sending a minor breeze of relief through his chilled bones as she turned back and walked into the sealed door once more.

XXXXX

Ignoring the looks she was getting from everyone else, Snow rushes out of the room. It was hard to breathe suddenly.

That horror.

He was **terrified**.

So bad, it pained her.

Something else was going on.

The others follow, utterly perplexed. Snow seats herself on the table, accepting the glass of water being offered to her, taking a much needed sip as she felt her throat grow dry.

Tony grabs one of the adjacent seats near her. Nick too. Bruce and Nat sit as well. Steve, Thor, and Maria, stand.

"Are you alright?" Steve asks. She nods firmly in reply, hoping it didn't seem as fake as it was.  
"What did you see?" Tony questions, anxiously curious.

How?

How would she explain it?

What would she say,

to make them feel what she felt?

See what she saw?

How?

Well, she would try.

"He was…

 **terrified** …"

As expected, her reply only succeeds in confusing them further.

"What do you mean?" Thor asks hastily, hating all of this. All of it.

Hearing his voice, Snow is reminded by his presence.

Thor.

His brother.

She turns to him, rising to her feet. "Thor," she calls, earning his undivided attention. "You're his brother. Tell me. What…what happened to him?" she inquiries, those damned tears brimming her eyes once more, striking Thor with guilt.

The thought of what would cause

all that pain,

all that fear.

Just the **thought** ,

was **chilling**.

At first, Thor is at loss for an answer,

then,

a thought crosses his mind,

and so,

he speaks,

as all listen.

"Loki, he…he was supposed to be **dead** ," he starts.

Their eyes widen at that.

"And since he is with us now, I am forced to believe, that he was

… **elsewhere** ," he resumes.

Tony scoffs at his vagueness. "Well, how long has he been 'elsewhere'?" he asks irritably, not liking the lack of knowledge on the situation.  
"At least…a year," Thor replies.  
"So, where's he been?" inquires Banner.  
"I'm…not sure," he tells.  
"That's just…perfect," sighs Tony.

Processing all the information given, each one of them attempts to make sense of it. Since Snow held knowledge of more than just his whereabouts, she was able to put two and two, and make **some** sense.

Some.

But better than none.

"It doesn't matter **where** he's been…it's what **happened** to him during then," Snow states warily.  
"And what would that be?" Natasha asks irritably, wondering why on earth they were even having this conversation.

"Torture," utters White.

The others eye her intently, Thor's heartrate increasing by the second. "Not just physically.

Mentally

…Emotionally,"

she breathes fearfully.

"…Like…brainwash?" asks Steve.  
"Brainwash? What is that?" questions a confused Thor.  
"Extreme torture," answers Tony grimly, remembering a time in his life when he went through something similar, the reason for his being now. "Drives you to a point, where **death** , becomes better than…living the rest of your days in… **intimate** … **pain**. And

…you'd do **anything**

…to make it **stop**." he explains, painting a gruesome picture for all, zoning off a bit.

Thor's eyes go wide in fear, and a great amount of concern, as he attempted to process the information being handed to him. "Are you saying, that, this whole time, someone's been toying with my brother's mind?!"

"Okay," Fury speaks up alas, feeling as though they were getting off point. "Assuming…all of this is true," he starts, earning an intense glare from Snow and Thor that he brushed off.

Was he doubting her?

Really?

"How is it supposed to help **us**?" he questions intensely.  
" **How**?" Snow asks in disbelief. "We basically just told you, that the **demi-god** in there, is a **victim**."

At that, many of them would like to disagree, but she resumes, and changes their minds. "From that, **Nick** , you should know that the **threat** , is something, or **someone** , much stronger.

Strong enough,

to break

the likes of **him** ,"

she gestures to Thor, speaking firmly, with a hint of frustration as well.

And with that said, the group present, the ones with **extraordinary** abilities each, suddenly don't feel as confident, or as strong as they did, just a minute ago.

Their attention is then drawn to a going-out-of-his-mind Thor, storming back to the cell. To his brother.

Snow quickly steps in his path. "Thor! No," she places a firm hand on his chest, him eyeing her in confusion and slight irritation. "He was also afraid to **talk**. Which means,

someone must be watching him.

Someone he doesn't want to show, that we know anything," she tells.

"So, what do we do?" asks Steve.

Snow turns to Nick, expecting him to reply, but he simply eyes her expectantly, as if waiting for **her** to make the call.

Realizing he was being serious, Snow gulps in hesitation,

then,

decides on simply speaking her mind.

"I think…we should just find the cube. Whatever he's planning,

whatever he's being **forced** to do,

will come to light soon," she tells.

"So we're just supposed to **wait**?" Natasha asks in annoyance. There was only one person she could think about,

and it sure as hell wasn't Loki.

"We're supposed to be **ready** ," tells Fury.

They all turned to him. Nick trusted his instinct.

He trusted **them**.

Whatever would happen, he knew, they could stop.

And if they couldn't.

If they failed.

They would get back up,

and try again.

That determination.

That **will** ,

to do what was **right** ,

he knew, was inside each and every one of them.

That's why he chose them.

That's why he trusted them.

"The cube then," uttered Steve, the others nodding along in agreement. Best plan they had so far.

Steve then furrows his eyebrows. "Loki's staff looked an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon. I guess we could start there," he says, turning to Tony, and Bruce, who nods understandingly as Tony clenches his jaw at grandpa in tights, ordering him around.  
"I don't know about that, but it **is** powered by the cube," starts Fury. "And I'd like to know how Loki used it, to turn two of the sharpest men I know, into his

personal

flying

 **monkeys**."

"Monkeys?" Thor asks in confusion. "I don't understand."

"I Do!" yells Steve suddenly, shocking them slightly. "I…understood that reference," he says proudly, causing Tony to roll his eyes in extreme annoyance. Steve was honestly glad Fury said something he was familiar with.

"Shall we play, doctor?" Stark asks Banner, who nods. The two head off, and the rest scatter.

Fury turns to Snow, guiding her aside. "I suppose I should thank you for your help, Miss White," he tells, smiling genuinely, her nodding dismissively. "There's a jet outside, ready to send you home, when you're ready," he tells, hoping she didn't note his ulterior motive.

Snow furrows her eyebrows at the mention of leaving, slightly surprised.

Leave?

Now?

No! There was so much going on! A lot at stake.

She couldn't just **leave**!

What kind of a person would she be, having seen such threats on the world, **her** world, with her own eyes, heard with her own ears,

felt,

and leave anyways?!

No. She was better than that.

The risks?

To hell with the risks!

This…

was **war**.

…And she

would **fight**.

"I…think I'll stick around

…till all this is over,"

she tells.

Nick breaks into an even bigger smile, as if he'd just proven himself right. She gets it. She knows where he's been trying to lure her. But it didn't matter.

She made the **choice**.

XXXXXXXXXX


	4. 4: Teammates

"So? Decided to stick around, huh?" A voice asks. Snow turns to see Natasha smirking at her, arms crossed causally.  
"Yeah, I…wanna see this through," Snow smiles grimly.

Natasha nods comprehensively. She of all people understood what it was like to feel that guilt,

and she could tell,

Snow felt guilty,

maybe for not intervening sooner.

Yes. Guilt. For a number of things, one of those which included Natasha herself. "Hey, listen. Earlier on, when I first came in, I could tell, what I said had bothered you," she starts. Nat shakes her head dismissively. "I wasn't trying to upset you," Snow stressed shamefully, not wanting any bad blood with her new teammates.  
"It's fine. Don't worry about it," Nat assures.

She gets it, Snow was just trying to prove herself, in a room full of powerful people, looking down on her. It was only natural, and she probably would have done the same.

"Are you sure?" Snow questions apologetically. Nat smiles calmly.  
"Yeah," she replies, setting Snow at ease.  
"So…who is he?" asks Snow sympathetically. Whoever it was, Snow could tell Nat thought greatly of.

Natasha was good at reading people. She could tell Snow was genuine and good-intentioned.

But this?

It wasn't a topic she wished to open.

She was stressed as it was, worrying out of her mind about him.

All her life, Nat had been trained not to **feel**.

And still,

she **felt**.

And it was always.

Always.

For **him**.

What did she feel? She didn't know. But it scared her. Caring scared her.

Being cared for

scared her.

She'd never admit it out loud. The agent was secretly in battle with herself and her heart, constantly.

She felt herself breaking without him.

But she fought that too.

"A…friend," she said solely, quite the understatement, feigning a smile as best as she could.

It wasn't enough to fool Snow, but it was enough for her to take the hint.

Snow sees Nat's eyes avert to someone behind her. She looks to see one of the agents waving over. "Excuse me," Nat retorts calmly, walking off as Snow nodded in assurance.

Snow's attention is then caught by the sight of Thor and Steve, conversing near the meeting table. They looked serious.

Since this was all about Loki. And Thor was Loki's brother, Snow wanted in on whatever they were discussing.

"…you say he fell?" she heard Steve ask Thor, who looked tense on his chair, for obvious reasons. They acknowledge her presence as Thor replies and she seats herself near Steve.  
"Yes, after I destroyed the Bifröst," Thor replies grimly.  
"Bifröst?" Steve questions, confused by the word. Thor explains.  
"It is a **bridge**. Connects my people with the nine realms."

Steve was more baffled by this than Snow was, who held a little more knowledge about Norse Mythology than he did.

But hey, he was in the presence of the God of Thunder, he should expect crazy.

"Why did you destroy it?" asks Snow suspiciously as it seemed not to make sense.  
"Because

…Loki

had wished to use it,

to destroy Jötunheimr, realm of the giants,"

he said, confusing, and shocking, both his listeners.

"Which, I'd come to discover, was where Loki's **real** heritage had originated," he utters grimly, shocking them further.  
"He's a giant?!" Steve asks in bewilderment.

"Does he know?"

Snow inquires seriously, attempting to deduce more about the God of Mischief, and the reason behind his fears, and unknown torturer.

"He found out, just before he resumed his attempts at wiping out Jötunheimr," he replies.  
"Wait. So…he **knew** , and **still** tried to destroy it?" Steve asks as if talking about a mad man.

Snow listened intently.

Lies.

They were weapons. And the bigger they were, the more damage they could make.

Thor and Loki grew up together. Supposedly raised equally. But the facts were still.

One was adopted.

One was not.

No matter how hard the parents would try, there would always be a difference in treatment.

It must have been big too, frustrating even. Keeping Loki wondering for a long time.

Snow supposed, he'd never expected the truth. And when he'd heard it,

he snapped.

"He was angry. In denial," she utters sorrowfully, Thor nodding as Steve listened.  
"Blinded by rage," Thor resumes. "After finding out myself, even I was surprised by what he had attempted. I'd had thought that his anger would have been directed towards father, but he aimed it elsewhere. And I…cannot comprehend the reason," he told honestly.

Both Steve and Snow attempted to make sense of it for Thor. But Steve could only see a **tyrant** , hungry for power, for control. It consumed him for sure.

But Snow saw things differently, more **heartedly** than heatedly. What Thor had said could only mean one thing. Loki wanted nothing to do with his real heritage. He wanted the one he grew to know. Did he grow to love it too?

There must have been more to the story.

Before she got the chance to ask any more questions, agent Coulson approached Thor, asking for a moment of his time to show him something. He went, leaving Steve and Snow alone.

"I don't suppose you know why he did it?" Steve asks Snow calmly. She shakes her head perplexedly. "Well, either way, I don't think it'll help," he said.  
"Yeah," she replied, honestly not agreeing.

Yes, it wouldn't help **them** , but she **wanted** to know more. Snow had connected with Loki on very deep and personal levels. Not only did it break her heart, it also caught her interest,

as she caught his.

XXXXX

In his cell, temporary, Loki's mind was in shambles. Then again, he wasn't sure when it **wasn't**.

He couldn't think straight. A part of him doubted he was even there. Wondered if he was still trapped.

Had he never gone out?

Was this all in his head?

No. No.

Thinking was the **last** thing he wanted to do.

But his thoughts,

his **mind** ,

was not his own.

It moved randomly, back and forth, to the same places, with little to add.

 **Little** , but evident.

The girl. She was… **peculiar**. Concerning.

Why?

There was something she'd said.

A **word**

he hadn't heard in **so** long.

A word he lost faith in.

 _"_ _I..._ ** _understand_** _."_

Understand? When was he ever understood? Even before all of this.

Still. In his fragile state. **Hearing** it

made all the difference.

XXXXX

Steve got up, excusing himself to the bathroom.

Not wanting to sit alone in a foreign, interesting place, Snow rose as well, intent on looking around. Not every day you get to fly sky-high in an alien-fighting, high-tech ship.

She walked down the hall where she remembered seeing Tony and Bruce go, until, eventually, she came by their lab, spotting them through the glass window.

"Oh, look! If it isn't Snow White!" grins Tony in amusement, stood behind a computer screen on a desk, and Banner, on another, with Loki's long, gold-colored, metallic staff, that caught Snow's interest greatly, across him on a table.

Snow smiles dismissively at her name. Not the first time she'd been made fun of for it. But she loved the name, so the mockery never bothered her. She brushes it off.

Confidence in one's self comes a long way.

She approaches the two in greet and curiosity. Tony halts his work, stepping towards her. "So, did you pick it yourself, or…" he draws as Bruce smiles as well.  
"My parents did," she replies, trying to push off other grim thoughts about her deceased parents. "Last name was White. They though it would be 'cute'," she explains, content with the memory flash.  
"Oh, it is cute! Right Bruce?" Tony turns to Banner, who takes a moment.  
"Yeah…Cute," Bruce replies uncomfortably.

Tony turns back to Snow, smirking flirtatiously. "Are the Mister and Missus aware that their little princess is off fighting prince charming?" he teases playfully.

Snow tenses up. "Uhhh…They're dead," she says, smiling painfully.  
"Oh," Tony's face falls. "I'm sorry...My parents are dead too," he smiles sympathetically and she smiles back in understanding as Bruce winces at the sour topic.

Though Tony acted tough most of the time, he was really understanding, and very sensitive, even if his stubbornness out-weighed such traits at most.

So, **considerately** , he twists the topic. "Were they like you?" he asks instead.  
"You mean 'weird and dangerous'?" she grins sarcastically, resting her hands in the pockets of her black trouser. Tony widens his eyes at her comment, looking for a counter as Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose.  
"Well, I...didn't-" he smirks uncomfortably, making her chuckle slightly, causing him to ease down.  
"No, Tony. They weren't," she assures calmly. He stops talking and nods curiously.

"So…how **did** you get your powers?" inquires Bruce curiously.  
"Umm…I'm not really sure," she replies half-honestly, strolling towards him.

No need for them to know about the stone. She wasn't even sure it was real, having it happened so long ago.

Besides. She didn't like talking about it. So, hopefully, a short explanation would satisfy them.

"I got them when I was twelve," she tells, stepping towards Bruce, her eyes wandering along Loki's scepter in curiosity and admiration, specifically the blue, glowing part.  
"Did you get a Hogwarts letter too?" Tony grins, snapping her out of it as he approached her.

She cocks a 'seriously', yet, amused, eyebrow as Bruce rolls his eyes.

"What…uh…What else can you do?" Bruce asks, the one most fascinated by her abilities.

She really didn't like talking about herself, but she didn't want to turn Bruce down. So she arranged the list in her head as she spoke.

"I…can…fly," she started. Tony and Bruce raised impressed eyebrows at that. "Self-regenerate. And…heal others. That, aside from the force-fields, and emotions-reading," she tells.  
"Wow!" exclaims Tony, Bruce nodding in agreement.  
"That's amazing," he says, "is there something specific…in your DNA, that generates these abilities?"  
"Um…I'm not sure," she replies.  
"Have you ever run any tests?" adds Tony.  
"No," she replies plainly.  
"So, when you go to a hospital, and, like, take a blood sample, nothing ever shows up?" asks Bruce suspiciously.  
"Umm. I've never taken a blood sample, after I got them. It was too risky for exposure." They semi-understand that.  
"Yeah, but, if you're sick-" starts Tony.  
"I, also, **don't** get sick," she smiles. It takes the guys a moment to accept.  
"…Oh…Well, then, you should **definitely** come by Stark tower sometime. We," Tony points to himself and Bruce, "could run the tests. Obviously no need to worry about exposure with **us** ," he suggests, Bruce nodding eagerly, then is quickly reminded by something.  
"Yeah. Maybe," Snow nods as well.

William was no doctor. Sure, he could take blood, but he wouldn't have been able to tell what would be wrong if something was. Neither could Linda.

Going to a doctor would do far from help. It could lead to 'worst-case scenario', as in, being taken in for experimentation. That was no life.

But Tony and Bruce. They already knew about her. There was nothing to fear.

"Uhh…" trails Bruce uncomfortably. Tony furrows his eyebrows at him.  
"What?" he asks.  
"It's just…Last time I was in New York…I kind of broke Harlem," he explains awkwardly, referring to…the Other Guy.

Tony smirks, and turns to Snow, who smiles at Bruce in sympathy.

She gets it. She knew well, what it was like, to hone a monster inside. Oh, she knew well.

"Well," Stark starts, turning to stand suspiciously near Bruce, causing Snow to squint her eyes at him as he smirked at her mischievously. "I promise a stress-free environment," he says, waving about an odd-looking, metallic rod. "No tension. No surprises…"

And at that, Tony **zaps** Bruce with the rod!

"Ow!" Bruce exclaims in slight pain as Snow's eyes widen in great concern, fearing

a much less-quiet,

far more dangerous

version of Bruce.

Tony doubted such an occurrence, but was still curious as he studied Bruce's eyes closely.

The type of curiosity Tony had though, was the kind that killed the cat.

"Hey!" yells a voice. The three turn to see Cap storming in, wrathful at Tony's getting-dangerous behavior. "Are you nuts?!" he asks in disbelief.  
"Jury's out!" the amused Stark claims.

He then glances away from Steve, ignoring him, and back to Bruce. "You really have got a lid on it, haven't you? What's your secret? Mellow jazz? Bongo drums?...Huge bag of weed?" Tony asks humorously, causing Snow to roll her eyes at the last statement.  
"Is everything a joke to you?" Rogers questions at him disapprovingly. Snow tenses. So does Bruce.  
"Funny things are," Tony replies plainly, pointing at Steve with the rod.  
"Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't **funny** ," Steve tells strictly, then turns to Bruce, "No offense, doc," he apologizes.  
"Uh, it's alright," Banner assures, "I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle pointy things."

At that, Tony shakes his head disapprovingly, strolling off. "You're tiptoeing, big man," he tells. "You need to strut."  
"And you need to focus on the problem, Mr. Stark," stresses Rogers.

Tony clenches his jaw, edging towards him as Snow nears them cautiously. Wow! Those two really don't like each other. She wondered when that started, and how she missed it.

"You think I'm **not**?" Tony asks as if daringly. Steve stands his ground.  
"Now, now, boys," Snow starts humorously in an attempt to lighten the mood. They turn to her. "It's no competition. We're here to do our jobs. Nothing less. Nothing **more** ," she points the last statement at Stark, who shrugs it off.

Coming from her, at least it was less annoying.

"Speaking of jobs," starts Tony suddenly, as if recalling something serious, walking off in the direction of a hanging screen. "I don't suppose you guys are wondering, as I am, the reason, behind Fury, calling us **now** ," he states. They're confused. "You know, like, why **now**? Why not **before**?

...What isn't he telling us?"

he asks suspiciously, arousing their own doubts. Not like any of them ever trusted Nick and his organization of spies. "I can't do the equation unless I have all the variables."  
"You think Fury's hiding something?" asks Snow, who wouldn't be surprised if Tony was purely right.  
"He's a **spy**. Princess, he's **the** spy. His secrets have secrets," he states, popping a blueberry into his mouth as she brushed off the apparently new nickname and he offered her some that she took, eating them one by one in a daze as she wandered about the disturbing topic of

being played

by their employer.

"It's bugging him too. Isn't it?" he turns to Bruce, who immediately tenses up, eyeing around nervously, afraid to say the wrong thing.  
"Uhhh, I just wanna finish my work here…and-" he starts, Steve cutting him off.  
"Doctor?" he pushes seriously.

Bruce halts his ranting, loosening as he removed his glasses and sighed. " _'A warm light for all of mankind to share,'_ Loki's jab at Fury about the cube," he starts, Snow's heart clenching at Loki's name.  
"I heard it," nods Steve grimly, getting the exact opposite reaction to Snow, a feeling of disgust.  
"I think that was meant for you," Bruce points to Tony, who is as interested in hearing Banner's thoughts as Steve and Snow were, pushing forward his bag of blueberries for him. He accepts the offer reluctantly as he talked on. "Even if Barton didn't tell Loki about the tower, it was still all over the news," he explains, Snow nodding at the fact that she'd also seen it. Self-sustaining energy-functioning building.

It was all the talk for the past two days, until the attack in Cleveland, Germany. Courtesy of Loki.

"Stark tower?" asks Steve, slightly perplexed, wondering why in the world the God of Mischief was interested in some tower. "That big ugly-" he stops when Tony cocks an eyebrow at him, daring him to finish that sentence as Snow rolled her eyes.

He does.

" **Building** in New York?" Steve finishes, fueling Tony's despise towards him.

Feeling's mutual.

"It's powered by an arc-reactor," Bruce tells.  
"A self-sustaining energy source," Snow explains. Tony and Bruce nod as Rogers listens.  
"That building will run itself for, like, what? A year?" Banner asks Stark, who nods once more.  
"It's just a prototype," he tells. "I'm kind of the only name in clean energy right now. That's what he's getting at," he brags to Steve, who remains unimpressed.  
"So, why didn't S.H.I.E.L.D bring you in on the Tesseract project?" Snow asks Tony in suspicion towards the organization,

towards Nick.

"Exactly," Bruce states, pointing at her. "What are they doing in the energy business in the first place?"

Snow's mind riles up, and heart flares. What was Fury keeping secret? Did he have something to do with Loki being on earth now? Was he possibly the reason all of this started?

"I should probably look into that, once my decryption program finishes breaking into all of S.H.I.E.L.D's secure files," Stark tells calmly as the others widen their eyes.

Seriously?!

"I'm sorry. Did you say-" starts Steve, but Tony cuts him off, fiddling with a mini-screen in his hand.  
"Jarvis's been running it since I hit the bridge. In a few hours, I'll know every dirty secret S.H.I.E.L.D has ever tried to hide.

Blueberry?"

he offers innocently. Steve ignores it and speaks up.  
"Yet you're confused about why they didn't want you around," he states sarcastically in disapproval.

He was really getting on Tony's nerves, they could tell. Still, not like Stark could run out of comebacks.

"An intelligence organization that fears intelligence? Historically, **not** awesome," he says blandly.  
"I think Loki's trying to wind us up," says Steve sourly.

Snow squints her eyes at that, somewhat irritably, like a part of her **refused** anything said against him. She didn't get that.

"No offense, **Cap** , but there's only one person in this room that I would trust the opinion of, when speaking of the green-bean," Tony tells firmly with a constant dislike in his tone towards Steve.

They both turn to Snow, as if waiting for her to intervene, so was Bruce.

She notes this, and starts to estimate the situation, picking at the right words to keep her at point between both, and **with** no one. Neither men were wrong, and they should know that.

Snow walks towards them calmly, crossing her arms casually as she spoke. "The way I see it? Loki **needs** to start a war, for whoever he's working under. Yes, maybe he is trying to wind us up. Maybe that **is** part of the plan," she tells, earning Steve's appreciation, and Tony's reluctance and slight disappointment for not standing by his side.

But she wasn't finished.

" **But**. We're not getting the full picture, are we? How can we win a war, without all the information?" she asks seriously, directing the question to Steve himself as Tony lightens up. "Steve. If Fury is hiding something, related to any of this, we need to find out what it is, and, quite frankly, Tony's way isn't doing much harm. Either way, the **trust** , between all of us," she gestures to them, "and S.H.I.E.L.D, is as thin as a **thread** ," she tells.

The room falls quiet for a moment. Tony was satisfied with what had been said. Bruce too. And eventually, so was Steve.

But he could see that damned smirk on Stark's face, as if he'd won something. The last thing Steve would do, is go along Tony's victory parade.

"Just find the cube," he tells the Stark irritably, storming off.

But they'd succeeded in planting doubt within his heart, and he was wary. Steve never relied on nor liked technology.

Practical work. That always got the job done. If Nick was hiding something important from them, he'd find it, his own way.

When he's out, Tony speaks up again. " **That** 's the guy my dad never shut up about?" he asks sarcastically. "I'm wondering if they should've kept him on **ice** ," he says jokingly, but mostly in annoyance.  
"Tony," warns Snow somewhat playfully.  
"What? **You** don't think he's a pain?" he asks back as if it was impossible for her to think otherwise.  
"No, I don't," she states calmly, widening Tony's eyes.

Even though she agreed, only a bit, but picking sides was just not her style.

"The guy's not wrong about Loki though," says Bruce. They turn to him as Snow leans with her back on one of the tables. "He does have a jump on us," Bruce notes.

Tony and Snow think about this. They don't like it. They don't like feeling threatened. Who does?

But Tony refuses the thought. "What he's got, is an Acme dynamite kit," he starts. "It's gonna blow up in his face, and I'm gonna be there when it does," Stark states humorously. Bruce chuckles at that, but Snow frowns.  
"Yeah? I'll read all about it," he says.

She most definitely did not like the idea of causing the God of Mischief any kind of pain. Every time she'd think about him, and what she got off of him,

what she **felt** ,

she'd wince internally. Her heart would clench. Hasn't he hurt enough? It didn't seem fair.

But emotions were as dangerous as they were important. She shouldn't let them cloud her judgment. When the time comes, and she is required to fight him, she would.

…Right?

"Or, you'll suit up with the rest of us," Tony says to Bruce, re-attracting Snow's attention.

Bruce seems reluctant on replying to that. Snow was right when she said he feared his own strengths. He smiles bitterly.

"You see, I don't get a suit of armor," he explains grimly. "I'm exposed. Like a nerve.

It's a nightmare."

Tony and Snow share a look. They each understood what Bruce meant, but differently.

Tony was the type of person that saw the strength in any weakness. He was well at adapting to what he couldn't change, and he wanted to help Bruce do the same.

Snow, however, felt the exact opposite. She didn't **want** to adapt. She didn't want her powers.

But, as Bruce, it was something she could not change, and had lost hope in doing so. Not very uplifting, yes.

Maybe Stark could cheer them both up, not that he was aware of Snow's feelings, or her past, which he was very intent on looking up.

"You know? I've got a cluster of shrapnel trying, every second, to crawl its way into my heart," he says like it was no big deal, and his next words show both why he acted so. "This," Tony taps his arc-reactor with his finger, "stops it. This little circle of light. It's a part of me now. Not just armor. It's

…a terrible privilege,"

he explains.

"But **you** can control it," states Snow, Bruce nodding in agreement.

And that was when Tony noted the shadow behind her eyes. He caught a glimpse of something more to her story, something grim. His urge to find out more about her grew, as did his urge to prove his point.

"Because I learned how to," he says. Snow refrains from rolling her eyes.

All her life, all she'd ever done, was learn to control it, and still, she was never sure she could.

She was never sure.

"It's different," says Bruce. Snow agrees.

Tony turns to him once more, "Hey," clearing his computer screen to get his full attention, "I read all about your accident. That much gamma exposure **should** have killed you," he says. Snow wasn't entirely sure what accident he was talking about. Not like she researched every odd being on the planet.  
"So…you're saying that the Hul- **the** …other guy…saved my life?" asks Bruce in denial. Tony nods and Snow listens. "That's nice," he starts sarcastically. "It's a nice sentiment…Saved it for what?" he asks irritably.  
"I guess we'll find out," utters Tony optimistically, honestly uplifting Snow's spirit.

She definitely respected Stark.

"You may not enjoy that," retorts Bruce as Tony walks off to another table, resuming his work.

"And you just might,"

he replies.

XXXXXXXXXX


	5. 5: Rogue Agent

When Stark and Banner began serious work, Snow decided on retiring to her room, where she was less of a distraction. She would have stayed to help, but she had no idea what they were doing. No shame in admitting what she could and couldn't do.

And so, on the semi-comfortable bed, she lied, allowing her thoughts about all that had occurred, all that **would** occur, flow freely. Steadying her breathing, her fears, her concerns, steadying them, a dire attempt to stay her focus when needed.

Half an hour, or so, later, a knock emitted on her door, then another, then another, till it was enough to wake her, **startled** at that.

She quickly got up, patting down her hair and clothes as she opened up. An agent stood urgently at her door step, requesting her to follow him to the lab.

Confused, she does as told. On the way, the agent hands Snow an earpiece, insisting she not remove it as he explained the situation. Apparently, agent Romanoff had managed to confirm that Loki meant to unleash the Hulk in some unknown way.

Naturally, hearing this set her heart and mind down and into emergency mod. Super aware, and greatly concerned. She didn't even have time to figure out how Nat had managed to get him to talk, or what he might have said.

It didn't matter, though, as she was ushered into the lab, where Nick seemed to be glaring at Tony and Bruce for a reason she'd discovered when Tony asked, "what **is** phase two?"

Strolling cautiously in, she catches a glimpse of Steve storming past her, evidently tense as he banged some sort of machine gun onto the nearest table, staring intently at Nick.

"Phase two is: S.H.E.I.L.D uses the cube to make weapons," he states grimly.

At that, White, Stark, and Banner, all turn to Fury in shock and slight disgust.

Steve turns to Tony. "Sorry, computer was moving a little slow for me," he tells half-jokingly.

Really?!

Weapons?!

"I thought the Tesseract was 'uncontrollable', director?" Snow inquires with bitter sarcasm. Nick turns to her with the slightest hints of guilt showing, like a victim in a court room.  
"White, we gathered everything **related** to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we're making-"  
" **I** 'm sorry, Nick!" calls Stark suddenly, flipping a hanged screen towards them that very clearly showed the exact opposite of what he was about to claim. "What were you lying?" he questions daringly.

Nick shuts his mouth.

He **needed** them on his side. They could not turn against him now!

But they were…

"I was wrong, director. The world hasn't changed a bit," Steve utters in disappointment at him as Snow breathes calmly.

Just then, Natasha and Thor walk in. Bruce turns to her. "Did you know about this?" he asks threateningly.  
"You wanna think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor?" she asks warily.  
"I was in Calcutta. I was pretty well removed," he states with dry humor.  
"Loki is manipulating you," Nat warns, and, yet again, Snow's heart clenches. It wasn't fair, was all she could think.  
"And you've been doing **what** exactly?" he retorts seriously.

Things were getting tense,

fast.

"You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you," Nat says realistically.  
"Yes. And I'm **not** leaving, because suddenly you get a little **twitchy** ," he stresses.

All remain their silence as Bruce speaks, worried of saying the wrong thing, making a wrong move, provoking him in any sort of way.

"I'd like to know why S.H.E.I.L.D is using the Tesseract," he points at the screen Tony had flipped, "to make weapons of mass destruction!" he exclaims.

Nick eyed for the proper reply to that. They knew that much, they might as well know the rest of the truth.

"Because of **him** ," Nick points to Thor, who turns to him in shock and confusion.  
"Me?" he asks innocently. The others listened intently.  
"Last year," Nick resumes, "earth had a visitor, from another planet, who had a grudge match, that levelled a **small town** ," he says, referring to Loki. "We learned that: Not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, **hilariously** , outgunned."  
"And **this** is your solution?!" asks Snow disbelievingly. Nick turns to her once more.

He needed her the most.

He is about to speak up, but Thor beats him to it. "My people want nothing but peace with your planet!" he exclaims.  
"But you're not the only people out there, are you?" Fury retorts, silencing them. He had a point there.

" **And** you're not the only **threat**. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched. That can't be **controlled** ," he states, eyeing most of them in reference. They're slightly offended.  
"Like you controlled the cube?" pushes Steve.  
"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and whoever he's working for. It is a signal to all the realms that the earth is ready for a higher form of war," Thor explains.  
"A higher form?" Steve asks.  
"You forced our hand!" says Nick. "We had to come up with something!"  
"A nuclear deterrent," utters Tony from beside Snow. "Cause that always calms everything right down," he says in cold sarcasm.  
"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark," Nick retorts.  
"That is neither here nor there, Nick," Snow notes firmly. Tony appreciates it. Nick clenches his jaw at the piling up disagreements.  
"I'm sure if he still made weapons," Steve starts, "Stark would be neck-deep in-"  
"Hold on. How is this now about **me**?" Tony questions irritably. _'For god's sake'_ thinks Snow tiredly.  
"I'm sorry, isn't everything?" Steve asks half-light-heartedly.  
"I thought humans were more evolved than this," Thor comments in disappointment.

So did they.

"Excuse me! Did we come to **your** planet and blow stuff up?!" retorts Nick.  
"You treat your champions with such mistrust," Thor elaborates irritably.  
"Yet you expect us to trust **you** ," Snow tells Nick in disappointment.  
"Are you guys really that naïve?" asks Nat. "S.H.E.I.L.D **monitors** potential threats."  
"Then that's it, isn't it? You only see us as **threats** ," states Snow bitterly.  
"Sno-" starts Nick.  
" **Captain America's** on threat-watch?!" Bruce exclaims in sarcasm.  
"We all are," replies Nat neutrally.  
"Wait. **You're** on that list? Are you above or below angry bees?" Stark asks humorously.  
"Stark, so help me god! If you make one more wisecrack!" exclaims Steve. Tony fakes a gasp.  
"Threat! Verbal Threat! I feel **threatened**!" he retorts, honestly making the others smirk.  
"Show some respect," Steve tells.  
"Respect what?!" Tony retorts.

…

And as the supposed teammates,

our heroes,

our **protectors** ,

argue away,

some very real threats prove their presence, on the way.

The argument escalates further, and takes a darker, more threatening turn.

"You speak of control, yet you court chaos," says Thor.  
"That's his M.O. Isn't it?" asks Bruce. "I mean, what are we? A **team**? No. We're a chemical mixture that **makes** chaos. We're…

We're a time-bomb,"

he says, painting a **grim** picture for them.

And it was then, that the group was reminded of exactly why they were in that very room, in the first place.

"You need to step away," warns Nick seriously.  
"Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?" Tony asks, slapping his hand onto Steve's shoulder casually.

Steve shoves it off furiously. "You know damn well why! Back off!" he shouts. Tony glares back.  
"…I'm startin' to want you to **make** me," he retorts bitterly.

"Enough!" starts Snow, stepping between them once more.

All stop and watch the outcome of her interference with two near-erupting volcanos.

Neither men had anything against Snow. It was only right that she would be the one to stand.

"Look at us!" she scolds. "Look at what is happening! The world out there is at stake! And we're in here, fighting like **children** ," she utters in disappointment, brushing shame down all of their faces,

and

admiration

from Nick.

"I know…it's hard to see, but **none** of us are wrong," at that, many would like to argue.

But something about Snow, her posture, the calm in her tone, the way she spoke, so raw, everything about her demanded a sense of respect.

"The only problem, is **our** non-acceptance to a **difference** in opinion. And the sooner…we **accept** …the better our chances at **winning**. At saving **lives** … **That** is what we're here to do…"

Silence.

Silence…as her words sunk in.

Silence, and nods,

nods of acceptance.

They were convinced.

"She's right," starts Tony, Steve nodding.

Thor smiles contently. His respect for Snow had grown vastly in only a few seconds. His brother was lucky to have someone like her in his line.

Snow's content with the wave of calmness that had washed over the room. "So, for the sake of keeping the chaos to a minimum," she smiles somewhat proudly, a look they almost needed, "would you boys be willing to shake on it?" Snow grins, making both Tony and Steve chuckle at how silly that sounded.

Nick watched closely. Would they really do it? Was she really that convincing?

And a second passes.

The two men turn to one another.

Heavily, reluctantly, Steve puts out his hand.

And just as heavily, and just as reluctantly,

Tony takes it.

The idea of those two shaking hands was almost impossible. It was like a break through.

Not only was Nick greatly impressed, he also saw opportunity in what had just happened. She had a hand over them that he didn't have. It was necessary. If he could get her on his side, he would have them too. Of course, such thoughts, he kept to himself.

A beep suddenly sounds, startling them somewhat. "Got it!" Tony grins happily. Bruce goes to observe the screen.  
"You've located the Tesseract?" Thor asks.  
"I could get there faster," notes Tony, readying to leave.  
"The Tesseract belongs on Asgard! No human is a match for it!" he proclaims, daring anyone to say a word against it. They don't, even though Nick would love too.  
"You're not going alone," says Steve to Tony.  
"No, he's not. I'm going with him. I can fly, remember?" Snow notes. Tony smirks knowingly, and Steve is confused. She hadn't told Rogers about **all** of her powers yet.

From beside the computer, Bruce discovers something direly dreadful.

The Tesseract.

It was only a few feet away from them.

…How?

Unfortunately, no time was left to figure that out.

An **explosion** sounds,

 **shakes** the ground.

The **sound** of metal clattering, like tables being flipped over,

nearing them.

 **Heat**. It was getting hot.

 **Smoke**.

And then.

…

 **Boom**.

All of that, in a manner of **two** seconds.

XXXXX

Onto the cruel floors, she was thrown, covered in dust, and shreds of glass. Smoke blocked her vision, and heaved her breathing. The sound of alarms blaring across the floors screamed in her ears. Her body ached from the fall, but was quickly recovering as she focused her powers on it urgently.

She pushed off the ground, stumbling slightly. Snow eyed around. She couldn't see Tony. She couldn't see Steve. She couldn't see anyone. The room seemed as though an earthquake had hit. The floors were up and down!

"Ma'am!" yells a female agent from out near the door. Snow turns to her frantically. "You need t-" and before being able to finish her words, the woman took a single shot in the head,

and fell.

Dead.

Snow's heart raced, mind wired up, and **rage** fueled her soul. She spurred to her feet,

and,

instead of hiding back,

Snow mentally counted to three,

and stormed out, where the red lights shimmered.

More shots fired her way. Using her golden-colored force-fields, they bounced against her shield, and tumbled to the ground, leaving her armed adversaries aghast.

Snow can't help but feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment,

for finally standing,

against what shouldn't be.

And with a twist of her clenched fist, the three or so mercenaries were vigorously shoved into the adjacent walls. Once. Then twice, till none could move.

They weren't dead, just unconscious, but if she had to, she would.

It was a step in her life she never wanted to take, but she was too involved to turn back now.

This was **war** , blood was bound to be shed.

At least she was on the right side.

Uncertain of her next step, Snow turns back to the agent that had fallen nobly. Her hearts aches, and a fire starts in her chest. A raging, wrathful,

flame,

for **vengeance**.

 _"…_ _White, do you copy?!"_ Nick's voice calls through. Snow clicks her earpiece.  
"I copy, Nick," she replies warily, noting the haste in his tone.  
 _"The Hulk has been unleashed on the interior deck!"_ he tells.

Her heart races faster,

with **fear** ,

but her mind yells at her to run, in that very direction, and stop Bruce from tearing the ship apart,

or worse.

"I'm on it!" she retorts, storming off.

She wasn't sure where she was going as she zoomed down the hall. Fortunately, she passed by some neutral agents, that pointed her in the right direction.

About to head off once more, another agent yells, grasping the attention of all those present. "Take COVER!" he screams as he himself jumped out of fire range from the incoming assailants.

Snow stood her ground, conjuring another force field to keep the persistent bullets at bay as all, including the attackers, watch in amazement.

But that didn't stop them from trying to take her down. Still, their attempts were shameful as she walked heavily towards them, step by step, till she was close enough to push the two in front of her into the back walls, encouraging the covered agents to step into light and fight back more publically.

One of the mercenaries attempts to throw her a supposedly unexpected punch to the back of the head, but she could sense his presence, turning at just the right moment to grasp his arm, and twist it with diabolical force that stabbed fear into the man's heart as she pressured till she heard bones crack, insuring his harmlessness. Those karate lessons finally payed off.

There were but a few left, and she could hear Bruce's mad roars from the lower deck. She needed to get down there now!

Snow turns to the nearest agent. "Can you handle this?!" she asked. The agent gave her one knowing nod.  
"Go!" he assured.

And she was off.

Pushing past the many guards and agents, alas, Snow reached the deck, and was presented with a wary sight.

The **Hulk**.

With all his might!

And, unfortunately, all his **rage**.

Poor Thor was stood in a very difficult position, one where Bruce-No-Hulk, attempted to squash him down with his tree-sized arm that Thor held up with both hands, using all his strengths, so much, that where his leg and knee stationed, the ground began to crack.

He notes Snow, and smiles warily, holding his humor in the worst of battles. "C-com to join the fffun?!" he asked.

Snow averted her attention from him, to the Hulk. "HULK!" she calls.

The name catches the Hulk off guard, and he turns in confusion. Having caught his attention, even though he was still attempting to flatten Thor, Snow becomes wary, and nervous. Her mind throws words at her to choose, and say. She speaks. "You don't want to fight us," she raises her hands in surrender.

However, the Hulk found it quite irritating that the woman would assume what he would and **wouldn't** want.

"I've already tried that!" yells Thor, causing the Hulk to turn back to him and let out a core-shaking roar, splattering drops of saliva onto the God of Thunder's reddening face, weighing down on him. And Snow could see, Thor couldn't hold much longer.

Thinking fast, she zooms forward. She skits to the Hulk's side hurriedly, then floats several feet off the ground to get a good, high hit-point. Aiming at his side, Snow conjures up an immense amount of power, holding off, then lets go,

shocking the incredible Hulk

to the other side of the room,

and releasing Thor from his misery.

She rushes towards him, holding him up and secretly healing most of his aching muscles, even at the risk of wearing her down slightly.

"That was…good," he comments, somewhat baffled by the lengths of her abilities.  
"Yeah? Not good enough," she calls back as their frenemy got back to his feet.

Snow and Thor stood side to side, both holding their fists up as the great beast glared intently at them, striking them with grand concern for their lives and each other.

With no second to spar, Hulk charged at his adversaries. Their reflexive motion sent them both bolting in opposite direction just before the Hulk crashed into them like a speeding truck.

Thor and Snow then halted, switching back. Thor hopped up, falling onto the Hulk's back before he regained focus. The Hulk immediately began to thrash and grasp at him as Thor attempted chocking him out cold with his hammer.

On the ground, Snow used her force-fields to halt the Hulk's motion, and it was taking a lot out of her.

In a fit of strength, the Hulk used all his might to push up and into the upper floor, breaking her force and causing her to fall from inertia as Thor was thrown up with him.

 _"_ _Thor! We need you in the holding cell! ASAP!"_ Nick calls out on the coms. Thor hesitates with his decision of hurrying after a possibly escaping Loki, or holding down an overly destructive Hulk.

Hearing this, Snow jumps to her feet, flying up and into the hole the Hulk had made.

Quickly she ducks as Thor is sent flying over her head, screaming. She then gets up, and holds a field against Hulk's **smash** attempts, buying Thor time. "Thor!" she shouts. "Go! I'll keep him down," she says. Snow then looks to see great reluctance in Thor's eyes as he pushed to his feet. "GO!" she yells once more.

And so, Thor storms off, to keep his brother in check, trusting Snow to do what he couldn't.

Turning back to the situation at hand, Snow groans in pain as the Hulk rained fists down her shield, aching her every muscle, making her wonder how in the world she would get out of this one.

And that was when a fighter-jet appeared at the outer window. In a manner of seconds, the window glass crashed down onto the ground, and splattered around, along with a hefty amount of bullets directed at the relentless beast.

The Hulk cried out in frustration, just before he leaped into the air,

and onto the jet,

confirming that the pilot would have nightmares for years to come.

Snow took cover near the doorway from all the shots, and when the Hulk was out of sight, she reappeared, to an alarming view.

The Hulk was tearing and smashing at the jet, that was then sent flailing into the sky helplessly.

Not if she had anything to do with it.

Snow runs out to the edge of the no-longer-a-window, and immediately bounces out, insuring her concentration on flying, something she wasn't all that good at. She took calming breaths from fear of falling or losing control.

She then followed after the Hulk and the jet in haste, but only caught up when the pilot in his ejection-seat was grabbed vigorously by Hulk, keeping him from fleeing away.

Fighting nearby, Steve catches sight of Snow, and informs Tony of the situation, who was desperately attempting to fix one of the Helicarrier's broken wings as Steve himself fought rogue mercenaries.

Snow zoomed forward, and halted a few feet away from the jet, using her force to pull the man, and his seat, towards her, then back into the Helicarrier just before the jet was blown to bits, and the Hulk was sent flying away.

"Bruce!" she shouts, about to head after him.  
 _"Snow! Don't!"_ calls Steve through the coms, grasping her attention.  
 _"Snow. He'll survive the fall. Loki's escaping! They need you back there!"_ explains Tony in haste.

Unable to think straight, Snow took a leap of faith, and made the decision to trust Tony and Steve, storming back into the ship.

XXXXX

"Move away, please," Coulson requests of Loki, who was stood directly next to the control-panel, having tricked Thor into the cell instead of himself.

There was a plan. His own. Not the **Other's**.

Well, if failing was a plan, then that was his plan.

Defeat.

And, for that to happen, he would have to provoke his adversaries, in any way he was offered, especially his **brother** , who simply **needed** to stop caring so much for him.

Loki's mind may be in dismay, but at least one thing was clear.

He didn't want this.

Any of it.

For the past year, all he'd ever wanted, was for the pain to end, to find peace,

and if that was in **death** ,

then so be it.

He tried, he really did.

Selvig, the one building him the portal. Though Loki's words were **heard** , **written** words weren't, and he made it quite clear for Selvig, he did not wish for the portal to be indestructible.

A failsafe, the last hope for earth's protectors.

This agent. He seemed noble. Stood here, alone, facing a God. Very brave. What shame it would be to end him. Yet, how encouraging it would be for Thor,

to truly turn against Loki.

Though it felt like he'd lost his path, he was still the God of Mischief. If he wanted to trick Thor into thinking he'd actually killed the determined agent, he could.

"You like this?" the agent gestures to the complex-looking weapon he gripped in his hands, aimed at Loki as if it would actually make a difference.

Oh, how Loki wished it would.

"We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does. Wanna find ou-"

And it was then that Loki decided to act. From behind Coulson, he actually stood, driving the scepter into the agent's back, in a place he knew would **seem** to kill, but only for a short period, enough to convince Thor before he set him loose into the air.

"NOOO!" screams Thor wrathfully and in pain, banging at the reinforced glass.

Coulson tumbled to the floor, sliding down the wall adjacent, unable to breathe right, body drained of all energy left.

At least it was temporary.

Loki gave him one last pained look before he turned back to the panel, insuring he bore a cold, dark mask for his heartily sibling to **hate**.

Loki turned to see Thor eyeing him with such despair, such disappointment.

Thankfully, or **not** , it wasn't the first time he'd seen that look in his brother's bright eyes.

He had to end this though. Push it further. He had to ensure his brother's hatred. For the sake of humanity.

For the sake of **peace**.

And with one, final, feigned grin, Loki pressed the button,

and his sibling

 **fell**.

And he walked away…

XXXXX

Snow sprinted down the halls, dodging, pushing people out of her way.

Running through a room that was right next to the holding-cell,

she saw **him**.

And he saw her.

A moment passes, neither quite sure how to act. Both direly in conflict.

She **should** attack, apprehend,

yet,

she'd never felt more hesitant.

And Loki. He was too far gone to be able to comprehend what he **felt** in that moment. To make sense of it.

But he felt.

A part of him saw something in her. A glimmer of **hope**. And his heart encouraged it, fighting so brutally against his mind, to keep his owner from causing her harm. From killing her out of necessity.

And she? She **couldn't**.

How could she?

How could one, not see, nor hear, but **feel** someone's deepest of pain, most raw of human emotions, and still strive to cause them agony?

She was afraid this would happen. She was afraid she would slip.

Still, as if subconsciously, she had both her hands balled up and ready for any sudden movement.

Then,

the last thing she'd ever expected to happen,

 **happened**.

Loki raised up both hands,

speaking in a tone she didn't quite read.

"You…don't want to do this,"

he utters with a voice as smooth as silk. It was like a warning. She wasn't sure.

Snow hears his words, and is surprisingly able to make sense of them.

"No…I don't," she replies.

Neither wanted to harm the other.

But what was right?

What made sense?

What… **had** to be done?

No.

She had a job to do. She **owed** these people,

compensation for all the years she'd stood idly by,

and done **nothing**.

"But I have to…" she whispered in despair.

And he doesn't blame her…

He wasn't going to enjoy this.

With a fit of energy, Snow pushes forward a field, which he, being the **first** , had managed to **cut** through, like a knife to an apple, using his scepter, and the **stone** it held.

Recovering from shock, Snow lurches forward, putting up shield after shield as he cut through them effortlessly.

Alas, she'd managed to reach him attempting a punch. He grasped her fist firmly. She quickly used her leg to hit him in the knee.

He tumbled back, then pushed forward, swinging about the scepter that she'd managed to block with the fields, just a second before it cut through them.

Alas, he was able to push through quickly enough to cut a deep wound into her arm.

And **still** , she held her ground, hissing in pain, as he watched in disbelief,

the wound **heal**.

Having no more time to spar, Loki, using his own magic, creates a delusion for her to see, as he hurriedly stepped behind her. And before she was able to sense him, he drove a **dagger** into her side, causing her to scream in sharp pain.

Loki held her free arm with his own firmly as her back rested strictly against his chest, and he insured that the dagger was held in so she was unable to heal and stand tall.

"Uhh…" she breathed, tears of pain brimming her eyes.  
"Shh…Don't fight it, love," he whispered in her ear, warm breath stroking, feeling needles stab at his heart.

Loki pushed down, and she fell down with him. Still holding the dagger in, Loki lied her gently onto the floor as she eyed him in agony, and grand confusion.

Was he really going to let her live?

Loki couldn't **say** much more. But he had something else for her.

Snow felt his cold, slim fingers, linger on hers, unwillingly toying with her heart, then something of rough texture. He placed it in her palm, and it began to feel like a crumbled paper of some sort. He then closed her hand around it, giving her one last look of despair with his striking, ocean-shaded eyes,

before he got up,

 **without** pulling out the dagger,

and vanished from her sight.

XXXXXXXXXX


	6. 6: A Push

Wincing in pain, Snow looks down, where blood pooled around the dagger he'd left. Pushing the paper into her pocket subconsciously, Snow takes hold of the dagger's hilt, slowly pulling out, squeezing her eyes shut at the slicing pain and trying not to scream.

Finally out, Snow exhales in relief, shutting her eyes and focusing all her magic on healing as quick as possible.

Once the wound fully vanished, carefully, Snow pushed up to her feet, dagger still in hand.

Agents then flooded the room, rushing towards her, asking if she was okay. She nods along.

Snow then notes a limping agent. She places the dagger in the back of her belt. Hastily, she approaches him. "I can heal that for you," she explains, confusing him as she placed a hand on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

Slowly, the agent feels the pain in his leg fade away, looking down. He gives a test, very capable of moving it. He turns to Snow with wide eyes. She gives him a tired smile, heading off to see if anyone else needed a hand.

A few minutes later, she comes across a very distraught Fury. She hurries to him. "Nick," she calls. He turns to her, relieved that she was alright, not that he expected anything to happen to her. "You okay?" she asks. He nods.  
"Yeah," he replies, clearly upset. Snow guessed that they must have lost a lot of numbers. She grimaces. "You?" he retorts, pointing a look at the giant blood stain on the side of her abdomen.  
"It's nothing," she says quickly. It was not the time to bring **him** , or the fact that he'd let her live, up.

Nick could see dismiss in her eyes. There was something she wasn't telling him, but he didn't push. "Okay, well, get cleaned up. I wanna see you, Rogers, and Stark, in twenty," he says.  
"What about the others?" she asks in confusion.  
"Banner's in the wind. But we know he's alright," he starts, she nods knowingly, "Thor too." That surprises her.  
"What happened to Thor?" she inquiries worriedly.  
"Well, the cell's gone. We can only assume that Loki had somehow put him in, and dropped it," he says. Her face falls. She eyes around as if perplexedly.  
"What about agent Hill, and Romanoff?"  
"Hill's alright. Romanoff too. She managed to bring agent Barton back to his senses. She's with him now," he tells. Snow nods in relief.  
"And agent Coulson?"

At that, Nick grows silent.

Coulson was well and alive. But that wasn't what he'd planned to **tell** them. Snow, Steve, all of them.

Loki had escaped. Thor and Banner were gone. The Helicarrier in dismay, and a lot of agents were killed. Nick felt as though his fighters weren't giving it all they've got.

He felt that they needed a **push**.

Nick was well aware that Phil held special meaning to each and every one of them.

What happens when they are shown that losing loved ones was very possible in this scenario?

"Nick?" she calls after several seconds of silence.  
"…He

…didn't make it,"

Nick replies sorrowfully.

Snow attempts to process what had just been said. She felt her heart sink by acknowledging every word.

Phil was gone.

Phil.

The agent with the gentle smile.

…A friend.

Gone.

She wasn't entirely aware why hearing of his loose affected her so much, bearing tears to her eyes.

Snow nods slowly, giving off the reaction that Nick was hoping he'd get.

She then leaves to her room.

Maybe she blamed herself. Maybe she could have done more. Maybe she could have been there.

Maybe it was her fault…

Snow crawls to her bed-edge, and seats herself. She feels something poke at her back, and reaches to pull it out.

Loki's dagger. The one he'd stabbed her with, still tainted in her blood.

The one he also could have **killed** her with.

But **didn't**.

Snow got up, snatching several tissues from the plain box on the solid desk in her room. She then whips at the dagger's metallic surface, regaining its luster.

The weapon's blade adapted the shape of waves, the sharpest from all edges. Engravings she was unable to comprehend covered its whole figure.

There was a certain beauty to such a deadly instrument. And that fact immediately clicked a certain memory in her thoughts. Like a quick flash back.

His **eyes**.

They reflected a million stories. She only noticed when he was close enough. Ironically, when he was holding a dagger to her side.

Snow quickly shook the non-coordinate thoughts away. She shut her eyes and sighed, resting both fists on the desk's cold surface, wondering what in the world she was doing.

Shaking that off as well, Snow entered the adjacent bathroom, jumping into the shower, washing down sweat, blood, and pure exhaustion.

She only had an extra shirt packed, so she put that on, along with the same pair of trouser, which, thankfully, were still intact, and the white, soft-cotton blazer she'd left in the room hours ago.

Then she heads out.

XXXXX

Snow enters the meeting room. She glimpses Tony and Steve, already seated, lost in thought. They acknowledge her presence and smile politely. She smiles back, then takes a seat near Steve.

Two minutes of pure silence pass. None able to speak a word to the other.

They'd lost half the team,

and beard one **dead**.

It was suffocating.

It was guilt-filling.

Approaching steps grasp their attention for a mere second. Agent Hill follows Nick down the path, then stands to the side, as he takes position in sight of three of his remaining champions, who look away, almost in shame.

Nick reaches into his leather-coat pocket, and pulls out a set of small card, fiddling with them unreadably.

"These were in Phil Coulson's jacket," he starts, feigning sorrow. Steve and Snow turn to Nick sadly. Tony refuses to meet his eye. "Guess he never did get you to sign them." He tosses them across the table to Steve, small splatters of blood decorating them, causing Snow to look away, swallowing the lump in her throat.

Steve eyes the cards in agony, reaching over to take one, as if allowing it to strike him with guilt he felt necessary.

"We're dead in the air up here…Our communications, the location of the cube…Banner. Thor," Nick resumes, feeding into the fire in their chests, "I got nothing for you…Lost my one good eye…

Maybe I had that coming…"

Snow shakes her leg impatiently with every word, tearing at her lip with her nails in frustration.

"Yes. We were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract," Nick confesses. They turn to him, listening intently. "I never put all my chips on that number, though.

Cause I was playing something even riskier.

There was an idea,

Stark knows this."

They turn to him. He doesn't look as he rolls his eyes tiredly. Nick continues.

"called

the Avengers initiative.

The idea, was to bring together a group of…

 **remarkable** people,

see if they could become

something **more**.

To see if they could work **together** when we needed them to, to fight the battles

that we never could."

Nick eyes each and every one of them intently, reading their expressions.

Snow seemed heavy in thought, thoughts of who she was, what she could become, what she could do for others.

Steve let the words fill him with hope, and confidence, for a safer tomorrow.

But Tony?

Nick's speech had the exact opposite effect on him. Out of the three of them, Tony knew Phil the most. It was too much for him.

Snow was right when she'd sensed fear in him the most. He was afraid. Afraid of failing.

Afraid of not being good enough.

Afraid of letting people like Phil die.

Afraid.

Nick could see that too. And that was why his next words were directed specifically at Tony. "Phil Coulson **died** , still believing in that idea.

In **heroes**."

At that, Tony is unable to tolerate more words. He jerks from his seats, and storms off to the holding cell, uncertain why.

Steve and Snow watch him in concern. Nick eyes him in slight disappointment.

"Well, it's an old fashioned notion," he states.

Or maybe there was still hope.

Nick watches as Snow rises to her feet, and Steve follows. The two head after their lost teammate, to pull him back to sense.

XXXXX

"Tony," Snow calls softly, approaching him where he stood, right above the abyss the cell had left behind it.

He turns to her warily as she steps towards him, and Steve leans on a fence a few feet away from them. "Are you okay?" she asks.

Tony gives a thoughtful nod. "Umm. No. No, I'm **not** okay," he tells honestly. She smiles at him in sympathy.  
"Was he married?" Steve asks Stark curiously, trying to reach out.  
"No…There was a cellist, I think," he replies nonchalantly.  
"I'm sorry," Steve tells as Snow puts an assuring hand on Tony's shoulder. He flashes her a quick, grateful smile. "He seemed like a good man."

At that, Tony scoffs. He walks off, saying: "He was an **idiot**."

The two furrow their eyebrows at him. "Why?" Steve asks. "For believing?"  
"For taking on Loki alone," the frustrated Stark replies.

Taking on Loki.

It was all about that, wasn't it?

It was what they were brought here to do.

"He was doing his job, Tony," Snow tells sorrowfully. Tony turns to her.  
"He was out of his league. He should have waited!...he should of…" he scoffs again, unable to find the words.  
"Sometimes, there isn't a way out, Tony," Steve tells, approaching him as well.  
"Right," he replies in sarcasm, "I've heard **that** before." He is about to head back out.  
"Is this the first time you've lost a soldier?" asks Rogers.

Getting sick of his army references, Tony halts his steps, turning to Steve, utterly serious. "We are **not** soldiers!" he exclaims. Snow hurries towards them.  
"Easy," she warns calmly. Tony eyes her intently.  
"I'm not marching to Fury's fife," he tells her.  
"None of us are," she steps forward, "We're not fighting for **him**. We're fighting…for the people who can't fend for themselves." They listen. "This isn't about Fury and what he wants. It's about what's at stake. We're the only ones capable...

of ending this."

Tony turns to the floor in thought as Steve nods in full agreement. "Right. Now, Loki needs a power source," he starts. "If we can put together a list of-" Tony cuts him off.  
"He made it personal," he says suddenly. They eye him in confusion.  
"That's not the point," Steve says.  
"That is the point," Snow says as well.

It made sense to her, just then, what his plan was.

"He hits us all right where we live. Why?" Tony offers.  
"To tear us apart," Steve replies.

At that, Snow disagrees. She attempts to silently find the missing puzzle piece. They were missing something.

"Yeah. Divide and conquer is great, but…he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to **beat** us. He wants to be **seen** doing it. He wants an audience," Tony speaks, walking off, brainstorming.

Snow wants to argue, but she was still missing something. What was it?

"Right. I caught his act in Stuttgart," Steve lays along, wanting to see what Tony was getting at.  
"Yeah. That's just preview. This is…This is **opening** night! And, Loki, he's a full-tilt diva, right? He wants flowers. He wants parades. He wants a **monument** built to the skies with his name plastered-…"

At that, Tony stops, Steve and Snow give him a knowing look.

"Son of a bitch," he utters, storming off.

Snow blocks his route, putting her hands up. "No," she says. Steve and Tony eye her in confusion. She eyes them intently. "You guys need to see the full picture," she says, pushing her hand into her pocket, alas remembering something of vast importance.

She brings out the crumbled piece of paper, and opens it up. Tony and Steve walk to her sides squinting their eyes at it, where words were written in italic hand-writing. " _'The scepter is the key.',_ " Tony reads aloud. "What does that mean?"  
"Loki placed in my hand, while stabbing me in the side," she rolls her eyes at how contradictory that sounded. Both men widen their eyes. "Yes, he made it personal. Not to weaken us.

To **anger** us.

Yes. He's doing it in style. But **his** style. The only way he knows how to fight. He's trying not to raise suspicions.

Guys.

He doesn't **want** to win," she says.

Tony and Steve take a moment to process her words.

" **He** gave you this?" Tony asks in disbelief.  
"Yes," Snow stresses.  
"What does he mean, _'The scepter is the key.'_?" Steve questions.  
"I don't know. I guess we'll find out."

The two aren't sure what to say, nor what to think. On one hand, there was all they'd lost in this one small battle against Loki and his men, and on the other hand, there was Snow's claim that Loki was not the head of this demon, but a slave to it, and that he was actually trying to help.

Even though the words stared them right in the face, they were not fully convinced, for actions witnessed were more believed, and Loki's action didn't bode well so far.

But Snow was a good person. They didn't want to argue with her. Maybe too good of a person. They half-suspected she wrote those words herself.

Either way, it would soon be proven.

"Then, what are we waiting for?" pushes Tony.

XXXXX

"Thanks," says a well-aware Clint to his best friend. Natasha flashes him smile.

Oh, how she'd missed his face. Those eyes.

She'd missed **him**.

Still, she tried not to show it.

As she fiddled with the leather cuffs he was tied to on the small bed, Clint spoke. "Natasha," he uttered quietly, playing at her heart-strings. She doesn't look. "How many agents did I-" he starts. She cuts him off, knowing where this was going.  
"Don't," she says firmly, eyeing him intently. "Don't do that to yourself, Clint," she tells, using a tone Clint wasn't used to hearing. This care. This fear?

(Author Speaking: For those of you who have seen 'Avengers: Age of Ultron', where, turns out, Clint was actually **married** and had **three** kids and lives on a **farm**! Yeah, that's **not** happening in my story. He's single. And has been crushing on Nat since **forever**!)

"This is Loki…This is monsters, and magic, and nothing we were **ever** trained for," she says. Clint's face falls serious.  
"Loki. He get away?" he asks.  
"Yeah," she replies irritably. "Don't suppose you know where," she offers. Clint shakes his head in disappointment.  
"Didn't need to know. Didn't ask," he says.

Natasha rises to her feet and heads towards the window, looking out into the empty hall, mind wandering for the next step.

"He's gonna make his paly soon, though…Today," he tells grimly. Natasha snaps to him.

Snow might have taken Loki's side, but after the conversation Natasha had with him. It was the last thing she was willing to do.

Oh, with her, he made it **beyond** personal.

So, why did he do it? Why did he speak to her so cruelly, about someone she cared about so deeply?

In truth, Loki was simply trying

to seem convincing,

to the demons that watched him.

He knew he seemed suspicious when he spoke with Snow first, then he found Natasha to compensate for that.

Besides, personally, Loki wasn't a very big fan of spies.

Either way, it set a fire in Natasha's heart.

The more they hated him, the better, in his mind. He needed their hatred, to do what had to be done.

To kill him.

"We have to stop him," she says firmly.  
"Yeah? Who's 'we'?" Clint asks back.  
"I don't know. Whoever's left," she replies.

Clint could sense desperation in her tone. He didn't think he'd ever seen her this upset. Just what in the world happened to his girl?

Maybe he could lighten her mood. "Well…if I put an arrow through Loki's eye-socket. I'd, sleep better I suppose," he says, causing a smirk to grow on her ever-glowing features. She turns back to sit next to him on the bed's edge.  
"Now you sound like you," she says, joyous that she'd managed to get him back in one piece.

Clint turns to her once more and smiles softly. He was the only person on the face of the earth that actually got her, **understood** her. She knew that, and it was part of the many reasons her heart felt for him.

There was something different about her though, something cold. It worried him. "But you don't," he says honestly. Her face falls. "You're a spy. Not a soldier. Now, you want to… **wade** into a war…Why?" he asks.

She was struggling with something, and he wanted to be there for her, like he always was, like she always was for him.

"What did Loki do to you?"

Natasha winces.

But

the warmth in his eyes was so appealing, it made it so hard to be scared. Natasha smiles softly at him.

But she was scared. Scared of losing him.

She looks away, unable to control her aching heart anymore, the one that caused tears to bream her eyes, that made her feel weak inside.

But when Clint reached to touch her face, pull it to meet his eyes, the fear was gone. All she could see, was a reflection of her feelings in his orbits. And that terrified her.

But he could see that too.

For so long, Clint had bottled up his feelings for her. Had waited. He knew she was fragile. He knew what she'd been through. He knew how much getting close to someone, to him, scared her. He knew.

But you know what, after heading off with Loki, he never thought he'd make it back, and the only thing that scared him then, was not getting the chance to tell her how he truly felt. To show her that she was loved. That she was **worth** loving.

No more waiting.

Clint brushed her lower lip with his thump, causing her to quiver at his touch. Nat froze as Clint neared her, till an inch was their only separator.

And then, he closed completely.

Natasha felt the air in her lungs flee. Clint could barely comprehend that it had finally happened. But soon enough, they both acknowledged just who they were kissing, and the hesitance disappeared.

Natasha pushed further against his lips, engulfing them with her own, making his heart race madly as he moved one hand down and onto her lower back, pulling her closer, and the other supporting her head, caressing her soft, red locks.

They'd been with other people before, on missions at least, but nothing compared to being with one another, this closely, and this intimately, causing them to wonder why in the world they'd waited so long.

Unfortunately, they were unable to fully satisfy their long awaited longing, when Captain America himself appeared at their door way, that opened automatically, considering this was a public room.

The two pulled apart, Clint irritably, and Nat warily.

Steve stops. Face reddens. He stutters. "I, uh, sorry, uh," causing Nat and Clint to smirk.  
"It's okay, Captain," Clint tells calmly, even though he was still pissed about the interruption. Steve had no idea who this was.  
"What's going on?" Natasha asks, wondering why he was fully dressed again. He turns to her, getting back to topic as Clint got up, eyeing around for his bow.  
"We're heading out," he says.  
"Where?" Natasha asks, rising as well.  
"We'll tell you on the way," he says. "Can you fly one of those jets?" he inquires.  
"I can," Clint says, fiddling with an arrow.

Seeing the arrow, Steve is reminded by who he was. He gives Nat a glare. She nods in assurance.

Trust.

He turns back to Clint. "You gotta suit?"  
"Yeah."  
"Then suit up."

XXXXX

And so, the group aimed to get ready in the quickest time possible. Tony was patching up his almost un-patchable suit. Steve, and Clint, were suiting up. Nat, and Snow, were waiting for call.

Finally ready, the group meet at the middle-deck. Snow walks towards where Steve, Natasha, and an unfamiliar man conversed.

Approaching them, Snow sees a shimmer in Nat's eyes that wasn't there before. She smiles, able to determine exactly who the gentlemen with the bow and arrows was.

They acknowledge her presence. "Where's your suit?" Steve asks Snow in concern.  
"You'll see," she replies almost mischievously. He doesn't get it.  
"Stark, we're set," Steve tells through the earpiece.  
" _Well, pick up pace. I'll see you air-high,_ " Tony replies.

"You must be Clint," Snow puts out her hand graciously, causing Clint to smile brightly at her politeness, and Nat to tense, knowing that Snow knew all about her feelings.  
"That I am. And you must be the infamous Snow White," he shakes her hand, raising an amused eyebrow at her name.  
"That I am," she grins.  
"Alright then. Let's move."

XXXXX

And so they went, **without** informing anyone but themselves. Not even Nick, who, of course, watched them take off, immediately ordering for communications to be put back up, whatever it would take.

"Okay, so what's the plan?" asks Clint, piloting the jet they'd stolen.  
"First, Tony's gonna try destroying the portal. If that doesn't work, we go to plan B," Steve tells.  
"And what's plan B?" inquires Clint.  
" _We fight_ ," Tony replies on the coms. Steve rolls his eyes.  
"Plan **B** , is Tony sneaks into the tower to get…a more functioning suit," he explains, they look to see that Tony is barely holding altitude when one of his rocket-boosters keeps malfunctioning. "Then

…yes.

We fight."

"Okay then," Clint replies, giving Nat, his co-pilot, an amused glance. She smirks back.

Alas, they reach the tower. Clint stops the jet a few ways off from it as Tony himself approaches the Portal-opener, where Dr. Selvig stood, working on it.

They also watch, as Tony attempts a shot, with all his power, only for it to backfire at him, sending him flailing about and causing his teammates to tense.

" _Plan B,_ " he calls over. They make ready.

Tony looks down, and sees Loki, smirking at him from the terrace. _'Show time,'_ he thinks to himself. Tony attempts a smooth landing down to his suit-remover. As it worked its way, Loki entered a glaring contest with the curious Stark, wondering what in the world he was doing.

Tony rehearsed his next few steps in his head, setting things in motion before his eyes. Though he was far from calm inside, he was good at playing it.

Tony then makes his way inside, somewhat hastily, before the God of Mischief made his presence known, entering from the terrace.

Loki smirks slightly, playing his own game. "Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity," he starts.

"Uh. Actually. I'm planning to threaten you," Tony says plainly. Loki cocks an amused eyebrow.

Two could play at this game.

"You should've left your armor on for that," he says.  
"Yeah," Tony dismisses, walking down the few steps on top of the bar, trying to seem as unsuspicious as possible. "It's in a bit of a mileage. And you've got the glow stick of destiny," he states, giving the scepter a curious glance, attempting to figure out what his supposed written-words meant.

Loki looks to the scepter and smirks, wondering if Snow had passed on the message.

"Would you like a drink?" Tony asks, walking behind the bar, where he knew he kept the suit-engaging bracelets.

Him and his weird placings.

Loki turns to him knowingly. "Stalling me won't change anything," he says.  
"No. No. No… **Threatening** ," Stark corrects nonchalantly. Loki eyes him warily. "No drink? You sure?" he asks once more. Loki doesn't answer. "I'm having one."

Loki ignores him, turning to the transparent, glass walls. "The Chitauri are coming. **Nothing** …" he stresses, causing Tony to look as Loki stared at him intently, as if dropping a hint that Tony couldn't read, "will change that."

Letting another second pass, Loki looks away once more. "What have I to fear?" he asks.

No, **really** asks.

Status report. He would like to see just how many were now stood against him.

How many did he anger?

Were they enough to defeat him?

Tony, pops a whiskey bottle open as he said: "The avengers," eyeing for his reaction. Loki furrows his eyebrows at him.

The who?

Tony rolls his eyes. "It's what we call ourselves. We're sort of like a team. 'Earth's mightiest heroes.', type of thing."

Realization falls upon Loki's face.

"Yes," he smirks. "I've met them." Tony lets out a short laugh, finding the thought of kicking this clown's butt quite humorous.  
"Yeah. It takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. But, let's do a head-count here.

Your **brother** , the demi-god," Tony starts, causing Loki to suppress an eye-roll. It seemed his brother makes himself a name anywhere he goes. "A super-soldier, a living legend," he resumes as Loki gives him his back with disinterest. Tony jumps at the chance, and starts putting on the bracelets. "Who kinda lives up to the 'legend'.

A man with **breath-taking** anger-management issues. A couple of master assassins."

"Oh," he resumes, "And…Let's not forget about Snow," Tony says casually.

At that, almost unwillingly, Loki's face falls. He clenches his jaw in an attempt to keep from taking out the Stark there and then.

Tony watches his reaction like a hawk, attempting to read it. Being Tony, the wildest of thoughts ran its way into his mind, that Loki and Snow had this sorta forbidden love thing going on. He smirks.

Tony wanted to push it, but he hadn't forgotten what Snow had said to Thor from the start, that someone might be watching Loki, someone not of this world. He did not speak. He carried on.

"And **you** ," he points, "big fella. You've managed to piss off every single one of them," he says grimly.  
"That was the plan," Loki smirks.

That was always the plan.

"Not a great plan," Tony grins, approaching him with a drink in his hand, having finally worn the bracelets. "When they come.

And they **will**.

They'll come for you,"

he says, seriously this time.

Slowly, Loki approaches him as well. The God of Mischief was of keen eyes. He noted the odd bracelets the Stark suddenly had on. The great inventor.

Tony tenses, but doesn't show, even though Loki could sense it.

A foot away, Loki speaks. "That was **always** the plan," he says, like a part of him was desperate to prove his innocence, to someone, **anyone** who would believe it.

And for a minute,

Tony **glimpses** it.

But going back to his senses, Loki could only see **one** way out.

Let's see how powerful earth's mightiest heroes really are, at their angriest.

Without warning, Loki grasps Tony by the throat, shocking him to the core as he lifted him off the ground, and the Stark kept yelling at his AI to deploy.

When Loki hears a mechanical object open, it was then that he decides to throw Tony **directly** out of one of the glass walls, well-aware that he would survive, and come out further frustrated.

"Oh my god!" exclaims Clint, watching the Stark fall, and re-attracting the others' attention. But they are quickly put at ease, when they see Tony's suit pieces follow, clasp onto him, and transform him into the Iron Man once more.

Tony shoots back up to the window, where Loki patiently waited for a reaction. "And there's one other person you pissed off," he says. "His name was Phil."

Loki slowly aims his wand at Tony, secretly waiting for him to take the first shot. The Stark doesn't disappointment.

But it was mere child-play, barely enough to graze

the God of Mischief.

XXXXXXXXXX


	7. 7: Right, Army

And it was then that Selvig finally got the portal working. A beam of bright, sea-blue light, sliced a path into the sky, spreading out at the end like spilled ink on a table,

to make way,

for **them**

to come.

And **in** …

they moved.

Tony looks up.

"Right…

Army…"

XXXXX

"Okay. That's my cue," says Snow in the jet. Nat turns to look at her as she approached the hanger. She turns back and presses a button to open it for her as Cap eyes her warily.

Without warning, Snow jumps out. "Snow! Wait!" exclaims Steve.  
"Did she just jump?!" asks Clint in disbelief.  
" _It's cool. She can fly_ ," notes in Tony.

And on her way down, the White focuses her powers on one of her favorite, but scarcely used abilities. The magic inside her was as protective as it was **lethal**.

And it would **protect** its **owner**.

A light spread from the midst of Snow's chest, covering her, like a blanket, in a reinforced suit of golden-colored armor that shimmered in the sun, impenetrable by any weapon, assuming the weapon was non-magic.

Natasha keeps her eyes on the jet's windscreen, a smirk growing on her face when she catches sight of Snow, floating across them. "Boys," she calls, causing them to turn back. Their eyes go wide.

She flashed them a quick, reassuring smile,

like that of a guardian's,

promising safety.

" **Now** I'm optimistic," says Clint, watching her fly off.  
"Me too," agrees Nat as Steve nods.

Snow looks up, where Tony was struggling to keep the **alien-army** , which still took her a moment to accept seeing, at bay, before she zoomed up like a speeding arrow to assist and defend her stupidly-brave teammate.

Loki walks out to Stark's suit-remover, watching the **Mad Titan's** plan unfold. He didn't see Snow.

But what he **saw** , flipped something inside his barely stable mind.

He switched **back** ,

back to the man they'd made-No-the **maniac**. The one who craved **power** , and **war** , for no sane reason.

He stood **helpless** ,

against the sinful excitement that washed through his soul.

Excitement too difficult to fight. He was only one man. He couldn't always fight back.

He would fall.

And he had fallen.

Even when his brother reappeared.

It changed nothing.

"Loki!" Thor calls. "Turn off the Tesseract, or I will destroy it!" he warns desperately.  
"You can't!" Loki replies honestly. "There is no stopping it…

There is only

the **war**."

"So be it."

And as the distant siblings fought amongst themselves,

all hell broke loose from above.

Snow hurries up to Tony.

Shooting aliens back and forth, the Stark catches sight of her, confused for a second. "What the…"  
" _That would be Miss White, sir,_ " tells Jarvis. At that, Tony lets out a laugh of excitement. Things were certainly looking up.

Assessing the situation, Snow deduced a dire fact. Force-fields wouldn't stop them. Wouldn't kill them. But she could.

It was then that Snow had decided to use the one ability she **loathed** most.

Using her force-fields, Snow aimed. Tony watched in the slightest of fear, as every target she hit,

was condemned to

nothing but **dust** in the wind.

She could only aim at a handful at once. It wasn't enough. So, Tony got over himself, and rushed to her side, using multiple mini-rockets at the ghastly creatures. "Nice suit," he yells over, smirking, causing her to smile at his impressment as she fought back earth's unwanted intruders.

Snow vigorously pushes some mercenaries into the ones behind them, causing them to collide, and fall, or just plain out explode. Tony flew about, throwing shots here and there, trying to take down as many as possible.

But they swarmed like bees.

It was beyond difficult for them to fight this many numbers, and fend for themselves and each other at the same time. Not to mention,

some got loose.

"Tony! This isn't working!" she tells.  
"I can see that!" he retorts, shooting some more, and flailing about, attempting to evade getting fired at, as Snow held shield with one hand, and fought with the other.

Tony gets an idea. "Okay. If we split 'em up, this would be a lot easier," he suggests.  
"Go!" she agrees, flying off in one direction, and him in the other, each being followed by a dozen or so.

" _Stark, we're on your three, headed north-east_ ," Nat talks through.  
"What, did you stop for a drive-through?! Swing up park. I'm going to lay them out for you," he says.

Tony flies down past his tower, catching a glimpse of the brawling sibling. "FYI, Thor is here!" he exclaims. Snow's heart jumps at that slightly. The others are just grateful they'd earned a bigger fist.

Seeing them, Tony flies past the jet, allowing it to surprise-take down his persistent chasers as he went off to fight some more.

The duo shows no mercy, shooting everything in sight, and circling the tower. They stop when they too see the siblings, wanting to help Thor.

And it was so suddenly, that Loki held the upper hand over his heart-broken sibling. "Nat?" Clint warns.  
"I see him," she replies warily. They take position, ready to shoot.

Loki notes this. Too caught up in the glory of defeating his be-damned brother, Loki shoots first, but only the **wing** , like his subconscious was still aware, and needed to insure the Avengers' survival.

However, all Thor could see, was his falling-from-the-sky friends,

and it **enraged** him.

He jumped his brother. They resumed their pointless squabble.

Meanwhile, Snow was tailed by at least twenty Chitauri warriors on pilot-able platforms, aiming to take her down, and hopelessly failing. They did prove difficult though. The numbers at least.

The White catches sight of the crashing jet. Her eyes go wide and heart races warily. "Tony! The jet's going down. I'm going after it. Cover me!" she tells.  
" _Roger that_ ," he confirms, rounding a building and appearing directly in front of her.

He too was being followed by at least seven. And in a blink, both fighters dive down, causing most of the upper Chitauri to crash into one another. Tony assists the crashing with shots from below as Snow hurries off.

Clint and Natasha were struggling to keep a smooth landing, but crashing was still very immanent in the upfront building-block.

Shooting down like a star, Snow lands directly in front of the jet, causing the duo and Cap to widen their eyes in fear of driving her over.

Taking a deep breath, fairly anxious, Snow stands her ground, putting up both hands as she focused quite the amount of magic, on conducting a field bearing the height and width of the jet itself.

When they collided, the three inside jerked slightly, but nothing compared to crashing into a building. Snow, on the other hand, felt

 **every**

 **muscle**

 **ache** ,

like she was holding up an elephant. Close enough.

Fortunately, her strength was that of **ten** grown men, **unnaturally** of course. The ground beneath her anchored feet began to crack from pressure, and after one long minute, the jet halted to a stop.

Steve hurries out of the jet to her in concern. "Are you alright?" he asks, still a bit dazed with her new look, her panting heavily in exhaustion. She nods quickly.  
"Yeah. Let's go."

Snow and Steve move forward, Nat and Clint following, stood on the bridge where Grand Central Station was in view.

The four Avengers' attention is suddenly caught by a horrifying sight.

It was **indescribable**.

A dinosaur-shark mutant barely resembled it.

The length of the Eiffel tower. The width of a whale. The height of a two-story house.

Floating down from the portal-made wormhole in the sky.

And it was **armored**!

Spacious armor, it seemed, as, from pods built in, **more** Chitauri soldiers appeared. From **both** sides.

 **Hundreds** of them!

Foot soldiers this time though, the cavalry were still sky-high.

They spread like a virus, onto the streets, into the buildings. Shooting, attacking, blowing things up!

All of that, in a manner of three seconds, sending the Avengers into quite a state of denial.

"Stark, you seeing this?" Steve calls in.  
" _Seeing. Still working on_ ** _believing_** ," he replies, flying towards the seemingly unbeatable target.

One person compared in size though.

" _Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet?_ " he asks, confusing them slightly.  
"Banner?" Steve inquires, remembering, as were the others, that Bruce's location was unknown since he'd fallen from the Helicarrier.  
" _Just keep me posted._ "

XXXXX

Face to face, the siblings stood, weapons aimed high at each other's throat, held in place by seemingly equal strengths.

But Thor wasn't giving it all he had. This was his brother. Blood-bonded or not. He'd grown up with him. Grown to love him, despite the difference in their likes and dislikes. They were brothers. Oh, how he wished Snow's words were true. It was the only thing the God of Thunder held in hope for his lost sibling.

"Look at this!" Thor yells at Loki. "Look around you!"

And in a moment of struggle, Loki does. A fire starts in his chest. Burning, raging flam, tearing at his insides, and ripping his mind to shreds. Guilt combined with denial. Hatred combined with excitement.

"You think this madness will end with your rule?!" Thor exclaims, wanting to see any sense of remorse. Something!

And for a moment, Loki doesn't disappoint.

"It's too late…" utters the God of Mischief, eyes breaming with tears of pure pain for the unbreakable conflict within his soul. "It's too late to stop it."  
"No," stresses Thor, face lightening up. Loki turns to him, honestly unable to comprehend a word. "We can. Together."

Together?

We?

Thor!

He thinks he could have it all!

But no.

A sharp pain drags into Thor's side. He looked down in shock, to see that his unreasonable sibling had stabbed him!

What sympathy Thor held in that moment was gone as his hammer slipped from his hand.

XXXXX

The four, Steve, Snow, Nat, and Clint, were stationed on the bridge reeking Chitauri.

While Steve, Nat, and Clint fought below, Snow took the high ground, floating directly above them to get a better eye.

A few seconds later, they glimpse Loki flying past them on one of the Chitauri platforms, followed by several others, a mad grin on his face as he rained fire on the streets below the bridge, wreaking havoc in a manner of seconds.

" _Still think he's on our side, Snow?_ " asks Steve through the coms. But she'd barely heard him, worrying now more than ever that there was a high chance Loki had officially lost it.

What did that mean for them?

Without waiting, Snow zooms after the God of Mischief. However, the White stops when the raging fire hit a bus filled with people. Children! A school bus!

The bus flipped vertically, a second from crashing onto its face when she'd anchored to the ground and held it up.

"Wow!" a child utters.  
"Oh my god!"  
"She's beautiful!"  
"AHHH!"

After halting its fall with a field, the bus began to fall back. She stormed behind, floating up and grabbing its tip, groaning as she held it up and began to descend it slowly, the kids watching from the back window in amazement.

Just before it stood the ground, Snow heard more Chitauri approaching from behind her. She places the bus down with a sigh, and turns.

Snow puts both hands up, shooting fields at two, three targets at once, turning them to dust, doing her best at keeping them at bay from the bus.

Five more approach her. And suddenly, two of them fall from behind, where Cap stood, glaring threateningly at the rest.

To the children, it was like watching pages out of a comic book come to life.

Steve throws his shield at the third. Snow hurries towards him. She throws a hefty punch at the one in front of her, then a knee to the stomach as she hastily held a field up against the second one attempting shots at her, pushing him aside with force as Steve fought two more, a few feet from her position.

Alas done, the two stand side to side as six more make their way towards them.

Crossing tides, Steve throws his shield at two stood against Snow, and she transformed one of those stood against him to dust.

They switched back, taking their own sides.

As they fought vigorously, the two take note of a screeching, as loud as a siren going off. They look to see the big one headed towards them.

"Stark. The big one's coming at us," Steve calls through.  
"There're too many people down here, Tony," Snow tells.  
" _I'm on it_ ," he retorts.

Tony flies into sight from the adjacent building. Aiming directly at the creature's face, he shoots about a dozen mini-rockets.

The creature screeches louder and turns to him wrathfully. "Well, we got its attention…

What the hell was step two?!"

he asks himself, rocket-boosting in the opposite direction as it followed away from the crowd.

Snow and Steve then turn to the bus full of children. Steve rips open the door, and Snow helps the children out.

"You guys were awesome!"  
"You saved us!"  
"Yeah! Superheroes!"

The teammates smirk at one another. They hear struggles from high up, and look to see that their other partners were getting far too out numbered.

XXXXX

Natasha held one of the Chitauri's own weapons against them, combing several sets of skills as she fought. Agility. Fencing. Aiming. Evading.

While, a few feet from her, Clint jumped from place to place, shooting arrows here and there, bullseyes in most cases.

But more appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. It was getting harder to fend back.

But when Snow and Steve jumped in, things looked up again as Steve blocked a shoot to Nat with his shield, and Snow to Clint.

Readying for battle, the four find it unnecessary when those stood against them fall from sudden lightning, and Thor lands from the sky, looking more worn out than themselves.

"What's the story upstairs?" asks Steve as Nat and Clint check their equipment, and Snow listens.  
"The power surrounding the cube is impenetrable," says Thor.  
" _Is it? Really? Huh? Snow. Key. Remember?_ " Tony offers.

Her eyes widen as the others turn to her. "What's he talking about?" asks Nat.  
"What key?" inquires Clint.  
"The scepter," utters Snow in a daze.  
"Loki's scepter?" questions Thor.  
" _Well, I don't see any other glowy sticks_ ," says Tony. Steve is reluctant.  
"Look. We don't know for sure," he says.  
"What else have we got, Steve?" Snow asks irritably.

Their conversation is cut short when Snow's eyes catch sight of…

Was that Bruce?

On a motorcycle?

The others turn as well, slightly in shock.

They hurry towards him. He climbs off the bike and approaches them, smiling slightly at the sight of them united, and amused at how messy they looked. "So," he starts sarcastically, "this all seems… **horrible**."  
"I've seen worse," smirks Nat, half-serious about the incident on the ship where she was Hulk's first target.  
"Sorry," Bruce says sincerely to her. Clint furrows his eyebrows.  
"No. We could **use** a little worse," she smiles. Barton would definitely ask her about this later.

Steve smirks. "Stark. We got him," he says.  
" _Banner?_ " Tony asks.  
"Just like you said."  
" _Then tell him to suit up._

 _I'm bringing the_ ** _party_** _to you._ "

Tony comes into view from a far off building,

and behind him,

the big one.

…

"I-I don't see how that's a party," says Nat.

Tony flies low, and it follows. The others hurriedly get into position, uncertain of their next moves.

Bruce however, starts walking directly towards the incoming beast, so casually.

"Dr. Banner!" calls Steve. He doesn't stop. "Now might be a really good time for you to get angry," he says.  
"That's my secret, Captain," he smiles, turning back momentarily.

"I'm always angry."

And it was then, that the six watch their seventh partner take form, to their eighth.

The Hulk.

In a manner of seconds, his body shifted, growing in length, width, height, and color all at once, granting him the **strength**

of a **thousand** ,

and the **rage** of **hell**.

And, in that same second, the creature almost flattened him, when he put a fist up, and gave a punch directly into its face with such force! So much, the beast **flipped** over.

Tony took chance and shoot one big rocket into the beast's showing skin, blowing it to bits as Snow shielded her friends from the falling pieces.

All around, from the skies and buildings, the Chitauri watch in panic as one of their strongest falls. How?!

The Avengers.

That's how.

They rounded up, each stood side to side, forming a circle of hope for the hopeless,

a source of strength for the weak.

The enemy's defeat.

The Chitauri screech in rage, and Loki watches in annoyance. "Send the rest," he utters.

And just when they thought they'd moved a step forward, the next event took them two steps back.

Two more big one's appeared from the portal. **Two** more!

"Guys!" alerts Nat worriedly.  
"Call it, Cap," Tony says, agreeing with the rest that Steve was most experienced in army divisions. And they were their own army.

Also.

They had a Hulk.

"We have to close that portal," Steve starts, he turns to Snow. "Snow. If the scepter is the only way to close it-"  
"I can get it," she nods quickly. He nods back, as she flies off, turning to the others.  
"Until we can close that portal, our priority is containment. Barton. I want you on that roof. Eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark. You got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back, or you turn it to ash," Steve tells.  
"Can you give me a lift?" Clint asks Tony.  
"Right. Better clench up, Legolas," Stark retorts, headed towards him.

He grabs Clint and flies off as well. Steve turns to Thor.

"Thor. You gotta try and bottleneck that portal. Slow them down. You got the lightning. Light the bastards up."

Thor nods, spinning his hammer and storming away. He turns to Nat. "You and me. We stay here on the ground. We keep the fighting here.

And Hulk…

 **Smash**."

The Hulk grins in raging excitement, hopping off like a frog, jumping eighty feet into the sky, and onto a building, squashing and crashing all aliens in sight.

From far off, on the tip of the Empire State building, Thor calls upon storm-clouds, charging up with an unbelievable amount of electricity, then, using his hammer, directing it towards the portal, killing off at least twenty Chitauri warriors, and literally blowing up a big one.

One down. One to go.

XXXXX

On her way high up, Snow takes down as many Chitauri as she could, till she'd spotted him, spreading destruction about.

She gets angry, and, maybe guilty? Maybe she felt bad for possibly trusting him. Maybe she still did.

Maybe she was angry with **herself**.

Either way, Snow charges forward. Using her force, it is too late for Loki to retaliate when she pushes him off the platform and hard onto the roof of a semi-tall building nearby.

His few followers aim to take her down. She dusts them off quickly and mercilessly.

Loki gets to his feet in time to see her land in front of him, and he felt another rush of excitement surge through with the thought of battling **her**.

"Love the new look, darling," he smirks. Snow eyes as if in disappointment.  
"Give me the scepter, Loki," she demands, semi-calmly. He grins in retort.  
"Come get it," he tells slyly. She clenches her jaw irritably, having not wanted to do this. No choice now.

Snow charges forward with just a shield. Her main target was the scepter. If she had that, she would leave. This was not a battle she wished to win.

Loki found her challenge enthralling. Let's see how powerful she really was.

Using the scepter, Loki throws shots at her, that she blocks with struggle, seeing as how, somehow, every shoot actually disintegrated her force-fields.

Magic wouldn't cut it. If they would fight, it would be hand to hand, otherwise, they'd stay at it forever.

Snow runs forward. He swings the scepter at her head. She ducks, giving a punch to his gut as she rose back. He leans forward in slight pain. She tries a punch to the face. He catches her fist swiftly. She throws the other one. He grabs it too. She attempts a kick to his knee. He side steps her, using her other foot to flip her off hers.

She falls to the floor with a thud, him still on top, pinning both hands above her head firmly. Snow's wondering why he was so hard to beat. "Shame. I expected more from such a pretty face," he said.  
"That makes two of us," she retorts, letting quite the amount of irritancy at her weakness take over.

Loki witnessed her eyes glow gold. His face falls, accepting his fate as he was pushed back with an impeccable force.

He jumps back up, grinning at the sight of her wrath, fists clenched at both her sides, glowing as bright as her frustrated eyes. "Now that's more like it," he grins.

She charged up, aiming for a big hit, from a distance. He held up the staff. But, this time, it was pointless. She'd used up so much energy, it sent him flying off the roof, and into the adjacent office-building.

She followed after, flying to the broken window he'd landed in. She eyes around, and doesn't find him.

So, she stepped up her game, he would step up his.

She hears something to her left, glimpses his figure, and immediately shoots a push. But he wasn't really on her left.

It was too late for her to turn when she'd sensed a presence on her right, having him shoot her into the front pillar, causing it to crack from strength. He sprints to her face, gripping her throat.

Instead of pushing him away, one thought came to mind. Snow shoved Loki's own dagger, the one he'd stabbed her with, into his side. His eyes go wide in slight shock. He looks down. Sees it. And laughs, impressed as she stepped in and punched him dead in the face.

He stumbles to his knees, pulling out the dagger, and keeping it, as he used the scepter for support. She approaches him slowly, taking hold of the scepter's upper neck. Unexpectedly, she takes a quick punch to the gut, letting out a huff of pained air.

In the same second, Snow shoots out force, as Loki triggers the scepter. The two shots of **consequent** power only succeeded in pushing both adversaries to opposite directions, Loki to the floor, and Snow out the window.

She managed to fly off directly before hitting the abandoned street's crumbled road, letting herself drop semi-gracefully. This amount of effort would leave her down for weeks to come.

Having no time to catch her breath, Snow hurriedly put up a shield as Loki came crashing down onto her. He pushes further, and she almost succumbs.

But a rush of adrenaline saves her back, pushing up till he was thrown off.

The scepter drops from his hand. He reaches to get it, but she pushes him far, running towards it herself.

Finally in hand, Snow flies off. Out of panic, Loki shoots another dagger into the sky, burying it deep into her stomach.

Snow lets out a cry of pain.

…And it was then,

that his heart **screamed**.

Screamed at him, to **see**.

To come **back**!

Before it was too late.

She fell, and the scepter fell with her,

but,

as if on instinct,

Loki went after **her**.

She'd thought she'd hit the pavement, but her landing was **less** of a pain for some reason, and it was only when she'd opened her eyes to **his** , did her confusion arouse, and heart start to race.

On the ground and in his arms, Loki turned to the dagger, pulling it out furiously, causing her to scream out again as he threw it away, and the wound slowly healed.

He turned to her, a million words behind his lonesome eyes.

But she could **sense** them.

All of them.

The fear.

The pain.

But mostly, guilt. So much guilt, she could almost hear the desperate apology on the tip of his tongue.

...He was back.

 **But**

when **Thor**

came crashing in, having been informed by Clint that Snow could use a hand, the White witnessed a change in the God of Mischief expression.

And she felt the frustration.

"LOKI! Let her go!" the God of Thunder shouts, blinded to the reality of the situation.

No.

She could feel him slipping away again!

She panicked. Her thoughts were so distressed,

so

her heart took lead.

Catching them both off guard, Snow pulled Loki by the collar of his armor,

crashing her lips

into his

with such force,

chasing the air out of his lungs,

and all thoughts out of his mind as his heart raced madly, and hers did too.

Getting back to her senses, Snow focused her powers as Thor watched the scene unfold in disbelief, baffled.

Slowly, Loki felt himself fading, his mind growing weightless. His head fell back, breaking the kiss, and he eyed her in as much shock as his brother did, till his eyes shut, and he went away.

XXXXX

With the sound of singing birds,

he awakens.

Loki's eyes flutter-open

to a clear sky.

His senses return, and it felt as though he was laying on **grass**.

He was.

His mind found no sense to make. Slowly, Loki got up into a sitting position, eyeing around mysteriously. The first thing he caught sight of, was a one great oak tree, up a small slope.

And, all else around him, was grass, for **miles** , till he could see no more.

To his far west, the **sun** was slowly setting, leaving behind shades of blue and purple in the floating, quiet clouds.

Where in the world was he?

XXXXX

Snow held his unconscious head in her hands. "Thor!" she calls. He runs towards her, unbelievably confused. "He won't be out for long," she explains as he kneels opposite her. "I need you to take him to the tower," she says, handing him his brother. "I'll get the scepter."

Thor nods slowly, still a bit daze. He scooped his sibling up and, with a swing of his hammer, he flew off.

Snow eyed around for the scepter, catching sight of it, she picks it up, feeling an odd surge of power wash through her. She shakes it off, and floats away, setting course for the portal.

On her she spots the one of the big ones, with Hulk rampaging more Chitauri on its back. She dives down **into** some of them, taking side next to the big guy as he squashed and smashed some ore, acknowledging her presence.

Snow combines both fields and scepter in her attempts to take as many of them down. And when the Hulk grabs a piece of the beast's armor, and shoves it into its back, she flies, charging up, then pushing the piece so deep in, it luckily hit a vital organ, sending the beast,

and them,

crashing into Grand Central station.

The two teammates, stand for a minute, catching their breath. "That…was…awesome," utters Snow, smiling at Hulk. He grins back excitedly.  
"Hulk and princess make good team," he says, causing her to laugh out.  
"Yeah…Okay, I gotta get this up there," she waves the scepter. "I'll see you around." She flies off once more.

Sky-high, Snow makes her way to Stark's tower, shooting a few more off of Clint's back.

She sees Tony being smothered by aliens, and shoots most of them down for him.

Finally there, Snow makes her landing where Natasha was talking to Erik Selvig. They turn to her. "You were right. The scepter is the key to stopping it. Selvig said Loki **insured** that he'd build it accordingly…

I don't get it," Natasha says. Snow shakes her head dismissively, honestly glad Loki hadn't lied.  
"It doesn't matter. We can close it."  
"You should help the others. Doc and I will handle this," Nat tells. Snow nods, handing Nat the scepter and heading off.

XXXXX

"I can close it. Can anybody copy? I shut the portal down," Nat calls in, holding the scepter to the middle of the device as Selvig worked the numbers.  
"Do it!" yells Steve from beside Thor and Snow, who had just landed next to them with Clint.  
" _No! Wait_ ," Tony yells.  
"Stark, these things are still coming!" Steve tells.  
" _I gotta a_ ** _nuke_** _coming in. It's gonna blow up in less than a minute_ ," he tells.  
"Oh god…" utters Snow fearfully.  
" _I know just where to put it_."  
"Stark

…you know that's a one-way trip,"

says Steve.

He does not reply as he flies over them, directing the nuke from below towards the wormhole.

A tense, heavy moment passes, as the Stark shoots up with all his might,

and

into

the portal

just before it blew them to oblivion.

The world breathes relief,

and the teammates breathe **fear**.

Pure fear for their friend.

The Chitauri around them fall. He had done it.

And, up in space, he floats, witnessing as the enormous, alien space-ship was blown to bits.

Scared,

and alone,

Tony wondered if he'd make it back,

if it was worth it,

as he slowly faded away.

His friends await his return anxiously. They could see the explosion spread, and would soon reach them. Tears slide down Snow's cheeks as Steve tells Nat to close the portal,

and she does.

…

But he made it anyways.

They laugh out in relief.

"Uhh. He's not slowing down," states Clint. Thor readies his hammer, and Snow floats up just before their friend was caught by non-other than the Hulk himself, who'd leaped up and caught him, trailing down a building, and jumping towards them, falling onto his back, and holding the Stark to his chest.

The others hurry after, where Hulk had pushed Tony onto the ground. Snow knelt beside him, pushing him onto his back and tearing off his mask. His face was at peace, and his eyes closed.

They couldn't tell if he was breathing because of the armor.

"Tony!" Snow calls. "Come on, damn it," she utters furiously.

Furious indeed, the Hulk roars wrathfully at him, **shocking** him awake. They sigh in relief as Tony eyes around warily. "What the hell?" he asks. The others just smile at him. "What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me…Well, except you," he tells to Snow. She rolls her eyes at him. Yeah. He was fine.  
"…We won," says Steve.

Upon hearing this, Tony throws his head back in relief, closing his eyes momentarily. "Alright! Yay! Hurray! Good job, guys! Let's just not come in tomorrow. Let's just take a day off," he throws jokes around semi-nervously. "Have you ever tried shawarma?" he asks Hulk, causing them to smile in amusement. "There's a shawarma joint, about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I wanna try it," he says, quite serious.  
"We're not finished yet," says Clint.

Thor and Snow share a quick, awkward glance.

"And then shawarma after?" pleas Tony.  
"Oh, yeah. I'm starving," Clint retorts, causing the Stark to grin as Cap and Snow help him up.

XXXXXXXXXX


	8. 8: Valley Of Peace

"What happened to him?" asks Clint. The six Avengers stood directly across Snow, in Tony's tower, where she sat near Loki on her knees.  
"I made him unconscious," she replies, placing her hands on the God of Mischief's bruised, cold face, Thor eyeing her warily, still unsure what to make of what had happened.  
"I didn't know you could do that," says Tony.

It wasn't something she could do. At least,

that wasn't really what she would call it.

XXXXX

"Beautiful,

isn't it?"

a soft voice utters, Loki turns from near the tree to see Snow approaching him calmly, back in her casual outfit, like a war had never taken place.

"What is it?" he asks back as she walks to stand by him, a gentle smile decorating her graceful features,

the setting sun lighting her warm, brown eyes.

"I don't really know…Will,

my…foster parent,"

he watched her expression fall, "and I, called it the

Valley of Peace,"

she looks back at him, smiling once more. He nods slowly, looking on, still confused.

"Loki…

I…"

he turns to see why her tone had changed. She eyes him painfully, like she loathed every word she would have say. "I have to take you back now," she explains.

Realization crosses his face. He should have known such a place would only exist out of reality,

for reality itself was not as kind as

for this to be his end.

He wasn't dead.

That was a fate he could no longer have it seemed.

Fate was out of his control, and what it would bring, he would accept helplessly.

"I know," he nods slowly. Snow could see the hurt in his eyes, and it killed her. It was even worse, how she felt that there was nothing she could do to help, this untamable urge to save him.

From what?

Himself?

His future?

What could she do?

And for him to accept it, so hopelessly, it broke her heart.

Without thinking, and seeing no risks, Snow takes hold of Loki's face gently. He eyes her questionably as she pulled him into her arms, resting his head on her shoulder.

He froze.

Loki felt a wound inside of him tear open.

It had been so long since someone had shown him kindness.

It was **overwhelming** , bearing tears to his sad eyes.

"I'm so sorry,"

she whispered.

And it was then that he placed his own arms around her smaller form, exhaling heartedly, holding tightly,

like he **needed** to,

like he was afraid she would vanish.

Still,

soon enough,

they both did.

XXXXX

The Avengers watched in silence as Snow worked just as silently. They witnessed in confusion as her face scrunched as if in pain, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. They assumed it was part of the process, though it still worried them.

Soon enough, she opened her eyes, and rose to her feet as Loki fluttered his own eyes open in confusion. He pushed up with an elbow, and eyed around.

Spotting her first, he was calm, then he felt the breaths breathing down his neck, and he turned.

Feeling quite threatened, the God of Mischief pushed to his feet, leaning on the counter behind for support. He listened closely.

No explosions.

No battle-cries.

It was over.

The war had ended.

They won,

just like he'd sought.

Still, he knew what they saw in him. It did not matter. He would rather be condemned to the humans, or his brother,

than back to **him**.

He'd won too.

Loki smirks slightly. "If it's all the same to you," he turns to Tony, "I'll have that drink now," he says, causing the Stark to smirk back.  
"Alright, come on green-bean," he said as Thor went to grab his sibling untrustingly from the arm. He went without quarrel,

only turning

to lock eyes

with her unsatisfied ones

one more time.

XXXXX

Alas, it was done. S.H.I.E.L.D held onto Loki for the few coming hours, till the Avengers were back in shape, and Thor would take him, and the Tesseract back to Asgard.

In the meantime, the Avengers took the Stark's suggestion. Seeing as how exhausted, and hungry, they were, the teammates sat in a distressed shawarma joint, the staff servicing them gratefully as the friends conversed casually, sharing moments of madness, and checking up on one another.

"So, how did **you** guys find out about the scepter?" Nat asks Steve, Tony, and Snow, taking another bite out of her shawarma sandwich.  
"Loki told us," Snow replies nonchalantly.  
"He told **you** ," Tony notes from beside her. She rolls her eyes at him.  
"He did?" asks Banner from next to him as Thor grows wary, fairly interested in finding out what in the world hid between his brother and the woman across him.  
"Sheesh, I wonder **why** ," Clint smirks suspiciously.

He then places his face on both his fists, pushing his cheeks up like a five-year-old as he stared at the White intently.

Her face grows slightly red, like she'd been exposed. "Am I missing something?" she asks him perplexedly.  
"I…

 **saw**

… **everything** ," he says, smiling happily.

Realization hits her as the others grow suspicious. She laughs out. "This is ridiculous," she says.  
"She **kissed** Loki!" the Barton exclaims suddenly. Everyone's eyes go wide.  
"That was…subtle," says Thor, grabbing his drink tiredly.  
"Oh my god!" Banner exclaims.  
"You did **what**?!" Steve questions furiously.  
"Okay! **Calm**!" she tells. "I'll explain."  
"Better hurry, princess. You're about to be overthrown," Tony smirks.  
"I was **trying** to **distract** him. Long enough to make him **unconscious**. It doesn't work if he keeps **fighting** me. He was so close; it was the only thing I could think of!"

They don't buy it.

Nat does though. She'd use very similar tactics on missions. Clint too,

but the kiss

wasn't all Clint saw.

"Why didn't you just turn him to **dust**? Get it over with?" asks Tony seriously. Thor glares at him, as if subconsciously still defending his sibling.

She could have said a number of things to that. That it didn't work that way. That he was too powerful.

And they weren't **false** answers. But, a part of the White, felt that, somehow, she **owed** it to him, to defend him.

"Because it wasn't right," she utters.

A lot show signs of protest against that. She explains quickly. "I don't expect you guys to **understand**. Loki's been through a lot, more than any of us have."  
"It's no excuse to start a war, Snow," Banner notes irritably.  
"He wasn't fully aware **what** he was doing!"  
"Why, did someone super-power his brain with a glow-stick too?" Clint offers sarcastically. She turns to him seriously.  
"No. No. Brainwashed. Isn't that what you first said?" says Tony disbelievingly.  
"And I **still** say so…If he was all bad, and pure evil, why would he have told us about the scepter?" Snow asks.  
"Why would he tell Selvig to put in a failsafe in the first place?" Nat offers. Snow turns to her in gratitude.  
"Exactly. Like it or not, guys. We never could have ended this, if he hadn't insured a way to end it," she stresses.

They don't like it.

But, still,

they consider it.

"Well, he sure as hell didn't make it easy," says Steve.

XXXXX

Back on the Helicarrier, the teammates wash up, change, patch up, and make ready to fly to Central Park, where they would see Thor and his sibling off.

And it was finally time.

They stood tall, the Avengers, together.

Then, and whenever else needed.

Thor stood in the middle of the quart, his brother, cuffed and muzzled across him, like a wild animal, the others stationed around them.

Doctor Selvig handed Thor the Tesseract to use as transportation back to Asgard, then bid him goodbye. Thor readied as Loki eyed around at them plainly, pushing past locking eyes with **hers**.

He was leaving, probably for good. He shouldn't get attached to anyone on earth, or elsewhere.

Shouldn't.

But could he?

Snow was barely able to hold her ground, wanting to leave before she'd do something stupid, like set him free.

It was beyond difficult, seeing him this way, so tired, exhausted, locked up, yet again.

The sight was chilling, that even Tony caught it.

He too, couldn't help the small urge to help the God of Mischief somehow. But there was nothing he could do. However, the Stark held a silver tongue. Maybe There was something he could say, to break the ice.

"Any last words, green-bean?" he asks, softly smirking. The others eye him warily. Loki turns to him for a moment, cocking a curious eyebrow. His eyes immediately avert to the raven-head next to the Stark.

Her heart jumps.

He debates a decision.

What **should** and **shouldn't** mattered little to him in that very moment.

Having made the choice, Loki slowly nods at **her** , shocking them slightly.

 **Slightly**.

Snow inhales sharply, stepping forward confidently. As Thor removes the muzzle worriedly, the others tense,

and Tony amused.

Snow turns from Loki to his brother. "Thor, give us a minute please," she says.

Hesitantly, Thor complies, going to stand next to Tony.

She looks at Loki, who was observing her, smiling as if proudly at her.

"I suppose I should thank you," he says calmly.  
"For what?" she asks, as if wondering what she'd actually done to help him.  
"For…

 **understanding**."

At that, her heart clenches.

The others couldn't hear them from that distance, but Thor could,

and he was smiling.

Loki then looks down, pulls something with his cuffed hands out of his attire.

The others tense, taking a step or two **towards** him. He smirks, as if teasingly, at them.

Loki turns to Snow once more, as she eyed his hand warily. Once out completely, he holds it out for her.

The dagger.

Snow's eyes widen slightly.

"Take it," he said. She turns to him in disbelief.

Having noted that he was being serious, Snow takes it from his hand, her fingers accidently brushing his, washing warmth inside him as she shivered internally.

Snow eyed the dagger knowingly, smiling at the amount of times they'd stabbed each other with it. She turns to him once more. He was eyeing her in a way she couldn't quite comprehend.

"Farewell, Snow of Midgard," he utters.

…

"Goodbye, Loki."

XXXXXXXXXX


	9. Author's Note

Aaaannd SCENE!

Okay, folks. That's a wrap. Part one is DONE!

What? Yes. Part ONE.

Does this mean there's a part TWO?!

Hell yeah, there is!

When, you ask?

Soon, I hope. LOL!

Okay, let's sum about the important stuff, that has nothing to do with ****Loki and Snow****.

 _1_. ****Tony**** is single. No pepper. Why? Because I'm making him an oc that is directly related to Loki's and it'll be awesome!  
 _2_. ****Clint**** is single. No secret wife! Why? Because I ship him and ****Nat**** , and because I can. LOL!

That's about it.

FYI. If you liked this story, and are a fan of Marvel characters, you should read my other story 'The You I See'. It's an oc for ****Rocket Raccoon**** , gives you a Beauty and the Beast feel. You'll love it!

AND. If you're a fan of the one and only ****Draco Malfoy****! Read my OTHER story, 'The Light In The Dark'. You'll definitely love that!


	10. 9: Eye Witness

"And give him twenty percent off," tells Snow.  
 _"That's awfully generous, dear,"_ says Linda through the phone.  
"Mister Ryes is a necessary client, with a lot of friends, Linda. We could use him on our side."  
 _"Okay. Whatever you say. How's Timmy doing?"_

Snow turns on her wheeled chair to look at the side-table behind her. Within a small aquarium, soundly slept Timmy, the turtle.

"He's sleeping, as always," Snow smiles, turning back, one leg resting atop the other as she sat on her desk, reading emails and sipping coffee in her sweats.

 _"_ _Heh. That's what turtles do, they'll sleep, just like men. Can you believe?! It's_ ** _three_** _pm, on a_ ** _Friday_** _! And he's_ ** _still_** _sleeping!"_ Snow gives a chuckle.  
"Cut him some slack, Li. Working the precinct can be tough, you know."  
 _"So is pleasing your wife,"_ Linda grumbles, causing Snow to smirk.

Snow's eyes glimpse a slight vibration on the coffee in her favorite mug. She furrows her eyebrows.

Whatever was causing it, increased, till even she began to shake, as did all that surrounded her.

Snow jumps to her feet. Earthquake?

"Linda, I'll call you back," she says in haste, peeking out the window in utter confusion, as a form of color seemed to materialize in circle form

midair!

 _"_ _Is everything okay?"_ Linda asks at her tone,

the second **he** appeared,

landing with a mighty thud.

Snow's eyes go wide.

"Uhh, yeah. Everything's fine. I'll call you back," she last says, hanging up and rushing to get her hoodie.

Snow throws it on, grabs her keys, opens the apartment door and slams it behind her, rushing down the stairs.

She comes out of the building, noting Mrs. Kettles on her right, watering her plants in her mini-garden, mouth agape and eyes wide as

the God of Thunder himself

made way towards the building, leaving behind a radius of incomprehensible marking on the road.

He bore a soft smile, locking eyes with a confused and shocked Snow hasting down the steps in her flip-flops.

"Thor! Wha…What are you doing here?" she asks. Thor's face falls slightly grim.  
"I'm afraid I have an urgent matter to discuss with you," he says, eyeing around uncomfortably. She eyes around as well, getting the hint.  
"Uh, sure. Come with me," she tells, heading back to the block, lending an awkward smile to Mrs. Kettles as Odinson followed.

Snow opens up her apartment's door, still attempting to grasp the situation. Thor follows in eyeing around strangely in his full armor and hammer. She turns to him.

"What's wrong?" she asks.  
"…

It's Loki…"

he utters seriously.

Snow's face involuntarily takes on a look of complete concentration.

It had been a mere two weeks since everything that had happened,

since she'd last seen **him**.

It was hard, not thinking of it all,

of him.

Harder than it should be. Surely nothing but trouble. So, she moved on, or was trying to,

until Thor showed up.

She could have seen him, Loki, if she'd wanted to. It was easy, and because it was, it proved much difficult to avoid, but she tried. No good would come of the alternative. What was it even? What was it,

she was feeling?

No choice now.

"What happened?"  
"The council have made their decision. I find it unjust."  
"What did they decide?"  
"They claim, by waging war against another, weaker realm, as treason, of the highest order. Only punishable by…death," he utters. Snow senses the fear in his eyes, and feels her own rise quickly in her chest.  
"Oh god…"  
"Snow. I beg of you. You are the only person who has seen through Loki's mind…and heart. Help me make this right," he pleas.

Snow washes an unsteady hand through her hair, letting Thor's words sink in one by one.

She felt pressured. Hesitant. Uncertain. Unable to comprehend, exactly what she'd be walking into if she'd agree.

As her mind remained clouded, throwing out warnings, and carrying on processing all angles,

her heart took lead,

rather too quickly.

"What can I do?" she says, determination clear as crystal in her eyes, filling Thor with much needed ease, and hope.  
"Father does not believe that Loki acted unwillingly. He does not wish to take upon this course of action, but he lacks proof of my words. If you show him what you are capable of, if he **sees** the truth, he may be able to convince the council to reconsider," Thor explains.

Hearing him out, Snow nods ethically, finding sense in every word. "Okay. When do we go?" she asks, feeling as though the question was surreal.

Going where?

Asgard?!

"Now, would be best."  
"…Okay. Just uh…Give me a minute to get ready," she tells. He gives an assuring nod. She walks off to the bedroom.

Shutting the door behind her, Snow presses her back against the door. Overwhelmed.

Snow's eyes glance at her bedside table. She approaches it as if in caution. She dips her hand into the lamp on its surface, pulling out a small key. She unlocks the lower drawer, slowly pulling it open to reveal

the dagger…

Just the sight of it,

took her back,

back to everything that had happened…between them.

She stares at the weapon for a whole minute, as if trying to absorb encouragement from the meaning it grasped,

the day he gave it to her,

the day he left.

She lets out a shaky breath, closing her eyes momentarily,

alas,

having made up her mind.

She closes the drawer, locks it, gets to her feet, and heads for the closet.

Despite her doubts, and remaining confusion, she gets dressed, wondering 'How?' most.

What?

What would she do?

What would she say,

when she would meet,

with the **Allfather**?

It all felt very unreal still, but she didn't fight it,

she wouldn't say 'no'.

Quickly throwing on a white, button-up shirt, and a pair of comfy, black jeans, she puts on her flats, storms a brush through her dark brown, naturally-straight hair, and makes her way to the door, to find Thor holding up her kitten-clock, that had eyes moving left and right, in utter confusion.

She steps towards him, smirking slightly at how weirded out he seemed. She takes it from his hand and puts it back on the shelf. "It's a clock," she tells, walking off into the kitchen.

She opens the fridge, crouches down and opens the lower drawer, pulling out a wrap of lettuce. She comes back out and hurries to Timmy, Thor standing next to it, also confused.

He furrows his eyebrows at her. "What is that green, sluggish creature?" he asks in pure bewilderment. She lets out a soft chuckle.  
"It's a turtle, Thor. You don't have turtles on Asgard?" she asks, placing the lettuce into the aquarium and caressing Timmy's shell as Thor shakes his head, staring at it.

"Okay, I'm ready. Let's go," she tells, face falling in slight fear, and anticipation.  
"We should head out first…unless you want a gaping hole in your lovely home," he smirks, eyeing the ceiling intently. She sighs, smirking nervously.  
"My neighbors are never gonna let me hear the end of this," she says.

XXXXX

Thor and Snow make their way back out. Mrs. Kettles and many others stare in disbelief.

The two stand in the middle of the usually empty road, right where the portal left the markings. Thor looks up into the skies.

"Heimdall! Open the Bifröst!" he calls. Snow's heart beat quickens. She eyes around expectantly, witnessing colorful lights dance around her.

Suddenly, Thor grabs her by the waste securely,

and in a flash,

they were pulled in.

Snow's mind could not entirely comprehend the process. Somehow, it felt like she was falling, but upwards. And all around her, were blinding streaks of light, in different bright shades. Her chest felt heavy, and breathing wasn't easy.

She then jerks to her feet, losing balance, but Thor holds her up, smirking at her frantic posture. When her vision adjusts to her surroundings, her breath catches in her throat.

"Oh…my god…" was all that could escape her lips.

She was in a dome-like room, its walls, floors, and ceiling, crimsoned in gold, engraved ethically and beautifully.

Her eyes catch sight of a pedestal, a sword, and a man. He was dark of skin, armed to the tooth, commonly in shimmering gold, like a knight in shining armor. His eyes, like warm honey, smiling softly at her.

Heimdall takes steps towards her. "I've been expecting you, Snow of Midgard. Welcome," he says, voice deep as he took her hand in his, placing a kiss on her knuckles.  
"This is Heimdall. Gatekeeper of Asgard, and my friend," smiles Thor.  
"I must say, it is quite noble of you to offer your assistance to Asgard's princes," Heimdall encourages.  
"Of course," Snow dismisses, like it was the right, and **only** thing to do, causing Heimdall to smile at Thor, as if praising his decision.  
"Come, we have much to do," Thor beckons Snow, giving her back a gentle push.  
"Horses are stationed outside, as per your request."  
"Thank you, Heimdall."

Thor leads Snow outside. The sun shone brightly above, heading to set. The sky clear, the clouds as if stroked with a paint brush. And across her, lied the infamous Bifröst, the rainbow bridge. Utterly breathtaking.

Hearing a loud sniff, she turns, where two able-looking steads, one honey-brown, and one white and grey-dotted, loyally stood, evenly saddled, a guard on each of their sides.

"Can you ride?" Thor asks her.  
"Yeah," she says in assurance, confident in her equestrianism skills.

She walks towards the brown one. Thor heads to help her up, but she climbs it effortlessly. He smiles, and heads to climb his own.

The horses ride calmly across the bridge, and into the lively city that, to Snow, seemed as though out of a fairytale scene.

The domestics eye the outsider strangely, some curious, some in doubt.

And from a distance, the palace shimmers in the sun, with every inch of gold. A mighty empire, taking the mortal's breath away.

Coming to stop a few feet away, it is even bigger than she imagined. Descending the horse, Snow follows Thor into the palace, a place out of a dream.

Thor leads her to a room, informing her that the maids would be readying her to meet the Allfather, when the time comes.

As if a foriegner on an alien planet, Snow follows the maids' instructions reluctantly, from soaking in a floral bath, to dressing in a gorgeous, formal gown, fully-sleeved, silky-smooth, falling an inch from the ground, and green in color, per Frigg's mischievous request.

Lastly, one of the maids seats Snow down, braiding small strands of her hair, and the rest lay free, for a touch of royalty.

And when she was ready, Thor was there to pick her up. His face lights up upon seeing her new form. "The maids have really outdone themselves. You look breathtaking," he compliments.  
"Thanks," she brushes off nervously, fiddling with her nails intensely as they walked down a spacious hall of marble floors, enormous columns, engraved walls, and gorgeous ceilings, a guard in every sight.

"Are you nervous?" he asks, noting her tense posture. She laughs out.  
"What gave me away?" she asks sarcastically. He smiles sympathetically.  
"Well, ease your concerns, my friend. I must conquer, father would be difficult, but he will listen. And I will not leave your side. Also, mother will be there," he tells. Her heart skips a beat.  
"How is that calming?" she smiles.  
"She will keep father in check," Thor explains, amused, causing Snow to laugh heartedly.

"I must thank you again, for agreeing to…all of this," his face falls slightly. "When my brother hears of what you've come to do, he will be forever grateful," he smiles softly at her. Snow's heart clenches in her chest.  
"How is he?" she asks.  
"He's…hanging on."  
"Does he know I'm here?"  
"No. Not yet."  
"Thor, do me a favor. Don't tell him. I don't want to give him false hope," she says seriously. Thor takes a moment to consider her words, slightly disappointed.  
"Very well," he last says, both reaching the throne's doors.

 _'_ _Here goes nothing.'_

XXXXX

Entering the throne room, Snow finds the situation oddly similar to when she was on the Helicarrier, headed to meet Loki for the first time.

Why did Asgardians have to be so intimidating?

The Allfather, radiating wisdom, and power, sat high on his throne, Frigg calmly stood by his side. Snow found it almost impossible to look anywhere, but at Odin himself, more out of fear than admiration, getting second thoughts.

But no. She would suck it up, and see this through to the end. No turning back now.

Thor eyes her warily, uncertain on what course of action to take to ease her obviously active nerves.

He places a comforting hand on her back, leading her forward till they were a mere five feet from the base of the throne.

Odin notes the color of her dress, and turns to Frigg, cocking an eyebrow. She simply smirks in reply.

Thor kneels, and Snow follows.

"Rise, child," Odin speaks, voice booming across the walls. She does as told, trying heartedly to keep her cool. At least Loki was easier to face.

"Tell me, Snow of Midgard, **why** are you here?" he asks suspiciously, yet, he bore a plain expression on his aging features.

The question seemed to awaken her, and it was as though she was at the company, in a meeting, with something to present, in her own way with words, boosting confidence into her soul, enough for her tattered thoughts to come together, and works as though on adrenaline.

She steps forward,

and speaks.

"I am here because,

there is wrong,

that needs to be made right," she says.

Odin raises an eyebrow, as impressed as his queen.

"As a child, I was burdened with certain powers, I see as both blessing, and curse. These powers, allowed me to see through Loki's heart, in a time where a maker of war would feel confident and powerful,

he

felt scared,

and alone,"

she tells.

At that, Odin raises a dismissive hand. "That so, you claim. What is your proof, child?" he questions seriously, his tone shutting Snow up momentarily. Thor steps up angrily at his father's attitude.  
"Fath-"  
"Silence," Odin commands. Frigg scowls at him irritably, but says nothing, also awaiting proof.

Clenching her jaw irritably, Snow thinks of a quick way to get through the constant, persistent doubts that danced across the Allfather's eye.

She turns to Thor, whispering something in his ear. Thor furrows his eyebrows momentarily,

then smirks.

He stands back in a ready stance.

Conjuring a force-field, Snow uses her powers to push Thor to the other side of the room. The guards within unsheathe their swords furiously.

"Stand down," Odin commands, smiling contently at the girl's persistence.

"I think that's proof enough, your majesty," she tells tiredly as Thor pushes off the floor, grinning in anticipation. "Loki started a war against **my** people, I have no reason to defend him, if I hadn't felt, first hand, what he'd been through."  
"And what would that be, precisely?"  
"My people call it brainwash. A state where someone is tortured in all and every way, leading a man to a point of compliance, and unawareness.

But…

your son fought through. He helped us end it," Snow says, eyeing Thor for backup. He nods in full agreement.

Odin takes a moment of silence. "Your words are compelling, my dear…but, I'm afraid, the council would not allow Loki to walk free, on the claims of a mere mortal," he says.

The room falls silent.

Everyone was thinking.

Thinking of what to say,

how to act.

Something.

Snow felt her heart gradually sink at the thought of not being able to help him,

of letting him go.

It wasn't fair.

It wasn't **right**.

And in that moment, Odin witnesses the girl's eyes light up. She speaks.

"If the council want to punish him…if the council refuse to believe anything but their own words, then so be it," she says.

Their eyes go wide. Was she giving up?

Like hell she was.

Though she knew she would probably regret this, out of options, she did it anyways.

"Wouldn't the greater punishment,

be banishment,

to the realm he supposedly sought to claim as his own?" she offers.  
"And let him fall to the hands of your people?" Frigg asks in disbelief, speaking up for the first time.

"No. Of course not," Snow assures. Then falls silent, pursing her lips. "…I'll take him under my wing," she speaks, words she herself momentarily doubted had escaped her own lips.

The room falls silent, the royal family shocked at Snow's words.

"Why are you helping my son?" Odin asks her seriously. The question caught her off guard.

'I don't know,' she wanted to say, but that would erase all she had just said, leading them back to the start of this godforsaken conversation.

So, what would she say?

"…Because its what's right…" she utters, trying her best to seem confident in her words, to believe them.

Odin notes her hesitance, yet remains his silence.

Hope.

He saw hope.

As did Frigg, as did Thor from the start.

It was clear then,

 **she**

would be Loki's salvation.

XXXXX

Walking out of the throne room, Thor jogs by Snow's side, grinning from ear to ear. Odin had agreed to weigh Snow's suggestion, noting that she would be informed of the outcome, and advising heading home for the time being.

Upon hearing this, Frigg and Thor rejoiced.

The God of Thunder smirks at his companion. "That truthfully went better than I had expected," he says.

But Snow wasn't listening. She was in utter denial, soon fading to awareness, too much awareness

of what she had just done.

Did she seriously just agree to taking the God of Mischief home?! Had she lost her mind?!

And there was something else, this nagging in her heart. This **need**.

Suddenly, she halts to a stop and turns to Thor. "I want to see him," she says.

Thor's mouth seals shut. It takes him a moment to process her out-of-the-blue request.

He then gives a nod.

XXXXX

In a cold, lonesome dungeon, deep below of Asgard's glimmering palace,

he lied, chained to the walls by both arms, muzzled like some animal, shirt-less, with a scarred back…

hopeless…

He barley heard the door creak open, refusing to look up.

And at the doorway, she gives a slight gasp, feeling daggers stab at her heart. A light shone down from a window far in the ceiling, lightening his form,

like a fallen angel.

It broke her.

Thor stood back, eyeing his brother painfully.

Snow took slow steps forward.

She came only a foot away from his limp body, down on his knees in surrender. She kneeled down.

And it was when no whip came lashing down onto his back, did he look up, vision fazed.

What he saw,

made him believe he was **dreaming** ,

and when her hand reached out to caress his cold face, he felt his heart jump, grazing him with familiar warmth.

But how?

She can't be real.

For god's sake, she was even wearing Asgardian clothing. **Green**!

Her teary eyes locked with his, and he felt devastation flood his senses.

How desperate was he, for his mind to conjure a hallucination as cruel as such?

Out of sheer sorrow, he pulls out of her grasp, causing her to retract.

At first, it hurt, then, a look of realization crossed her features. Snow pushed to her feet.

In that moment,

a fire had lit in her chest.

A sense of **determination**.

No more doubts remained.

No denial.

It was clear then, what she'd done.

She did not regret a word.

XXXXXXXXXX


	11. 10: Convince

Three days passed since the events. And for three days, she'd been thinking. About a number of things. If the council's minds don't change, what would she do? Would she just let him rot in that wretched cell? Could she?

And if they agree, what then? How would they make this work? Would he drop down with luggage, move in and call her 'roomie'?!

But all of that was pushed aside when she'd come to realize something of vast importance, and she wondered how in the world she hadn't considered it earlier on.

S.H.I.E.L.D.

They were monitoring her every move. If they find out what she'd agreed to, **who** she'd agreed to bring down, it would spread chaos, erasing all her efforts.

The only way they would ever agree, was by locking him up in their own grasp, and most likely turn him into a weapon, like they'd planned on doing with the Tesseract.

She would **not** let that happen.

So, what would she do?

Thought led to thought, and a related thread made an appearance.

The Avengers.

They weren't just her teammates; they were her friends. She'd met with them on several occasions after the war, mainly planned by Stark and his lavish parties.

If she could have them on her side, she wouldn't have to give two thoughts on Nick and his untrustworthy gang.

But how? What would she say?

'Loki's gonna be living with me, just thought you guys should know. Hope you're okay with it.'

Well, yes.

Why was she making such a big deal out of it?

Because it was.

But still, **she'd** be the one handling him. He'd be living with **her**.

Really, it was no one else's concern.

Yes, or no, someone should know. Better the Avengers than Nick.

XXXXX

Alas, Thor descended with news. The council had agreed that Loki's supposed punishment, would best be banishment, not that Odin mentioned it was **her** idea.

Still, no more 'what ifs' remained. It was happening. In sixteen days' time, she'd have the God of Mischief, dropping at her door step.

She had to tell the others, soon.

Glaring at the phone intently, Snow pulled at her lip and shook her leg stressfully. She was at home, in the living room, having taken a day off from work, or, more accurately, working from home,

but pause that.

She wouldn't stall forever,

even if she wanted to.

She reaches out to the side-table next to the couch she was seated on.

She picks up the home phone,

punches in the numbers.

It rings.

…

…

Someone picks up.

 _"_ _Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise?"_ a voice on the other end of the line speaks. She smirks at his usual attitude.  
"Hey, Tony," she replies, still fully stressed from what she'd have to say.

Things between them had been pleasant. Well, as pleasant as could be.

With Loki out of the picture, Tony being single, and Snow, being herself, the Stark did not attempt to deny his attraction to her, to himself, and Banner.

Banner didn't see an obstacle, he respected Snow, and considered her and Tony as his friends, so he went along with Tony's all too silly plan to seduce the White, merely agreeing to not get in the way, and offer an ear to listen whenever Tony felt like a banter.

Her, on the other hand. Getting into a relationship was the last thing she was thinking about. Besides, she didn't see Stark that way.

Oh, but she knew how he felt, and he suspected she knew as well, but she never said anything, which left him quite perplexed.

However, he simply assumed he hadn't won her over yet.

 _"_ _How's her majesty been doing?"_ he teases. She chuckles lightly.  
"Wishing someone else led the throne," she replies sarcastically.  
 _"Too many suitors proposing?"_  
"More like, realm leaders calling for uncanny assistance," she says grimly, somehow still playing along.  
 _"…You lost me,"_ he tells, sounding confused.  
"I'll explain, just, tell me, you can reach the others, right?"  
 _"You mean, earth's mightiest heroes?"_ She could almost hear the grin in his voice.  
"Yes."  
 _"Course, I can. Why?"_  
"There's, uh, there's something I have to tell you guys, all of you."  
 _"What is it?"_  
"It's too hard to explain over the phone. I need you to trust me," she tells seriously.  
 _"…Okaaaay…"_

And it was then, that it hit the Stark, like a brick to the face. The White's face only ever fell when they'd bring **him** up, even when simply reminiscing about battle time,

bringing him up,

always left her blue.

And he could practically hear the blue through the phone.

He panics slightly, feeling as though his plan was about to be thrown into the fires. He needed to be sure.

 _"_ _On a separate note, the 'too hard to explain over the phone' situation…doesn't happen to be related tooo your long lost, prince charming_

 _…_ _does it?"_

…

And the silence answers.

Now, he was more worried than jealous.

"Just…Call me back when you reach them," she tells tensely.  
 _"Wait. Snow…_ ** _Does_** _it?"_

She bites her lip.

"…Yes, Tony."

At that, Tony's heart pinches in disappointment. So much for his chances.

One would think he was giving up too easily, but Tony knew, oh he knew well, when Loki was involved, Snow was in a whole other world.

"And it's important, so, please, just-"  
 _"Yeah, I know. Call you back. Don't worry,"_ he replies quickly, brushing the irritancy off, but trying not to show it.

Still, one's heart was not a machine to shut down, even if his was connected to one.

 _"_ _Just…be careful for me,"_ he tells seriously.

Upon hearing his truest concern, Snow's heart pinches as well.

She frowns painfully, heart in irritable conflict.

"I will."

XXXXX

Having finally planned out when, Snow booked a jet to New York, and rented a room in a nearby hotel.

She'd been going crazy with plotting, planning, wondering how in the world she would convince them, how she would avoid looking like the devil's advocate in the eyes of her only friends.

Of all people, why her? Why did this have to happen to her?

But no more whining. She would pull up, and get this done, stressing again, that at the end of the day, it was **her** problem, not theirs.

And so, she pushed out of the car, thanking the driver put out for the owner of Chase Realty.

She inhales deeply, and walks in.

Controlled by Jarvis, the elevator greets Snow, something she was both impressed with, and never thought she'd get used to, it takes her to the floor everyone else was waiting on.

She takes a seat on a sole chair. Tony on the adjacent one, Steve on one opposite them. Banner on a couch, and Nat and Clint on another.

After quick greets and a pleasant reunion, Tony shuts everyone up, stating that Snow had something important to say, stressed as he was from the day before.

Steve had an elbow on a knee, resting his jaw on his clenched fist. Clint had an arm around Nat as she sat, cross-armed. Bruce mimicked her tense stance. Tony rested both arms on the chair, one leg held up by the other.

Snow was leaned forward, elbows on knees and hands intertwined.

And there she sat, in front of them, pale as a ghost, stumbling over thought by thought, till it

just

came

out.

"…Loki's coming to earth," she says.

Silence falls. Expressions of confusion, denial, and shock, danced across her eyes.

Then, laughter cuts through. They all turn to see Clint grinning. He raises a hand, leaning forward.

"I'm sorry, for a minute there, it sounded like you'd said, Loki was coming to earth," he chuckles. Snow stays her silence, looking to the ground as he laughed some more and the others studied her reaction carefully. Only Tony wasn't as shocked as they were.

Seeing she was still serious, Clint furrows his eyebrows. "You're kidding. She's kidding, right?" he turns to the others. She purses her lips.  
"Snow?" Steve calls. She turns to him, and he could see,

she was dead serious.

He freaks out.

"You better explain, fast," Nat tells, also freaking out and snapping the White out of her daze.

"I will," she raises her hands, nodding. "About a week ago, Thor came to me, asking for help. He said he didn't think the council's decision, regarding Loki's punishment, was just," she tells.  
"You mean, execution?" starts Clint sarcastically, raging up by the second as he seemed to realize she was being serious. "Because that's about as just as it can get, for a guy who killed **hundreds** of innocent people!" he shouts.

Snow turns to him furiously. "Not to make this personal, but how many people have **you** killed, Clint?" she asks seriously, cocking an eyebrow. He shakes his head irritably.  
"That's…not the same," he tells.  
"Isn't it? What about you, Natasha? How many people have you killed before getting tied in with S.H.I.E.L.D?" she asks.

Natasha cocks a daring eyebrow at her, clenching her jaw as Clint turned to her, wary for her reaction to Snow's harsh words.

But, one thing still remained.

Snow was right.

"Thor came, asking for my help. I wasn't going to shut him out," she defends.  
"So, what did you do?" Bruce asks curiously.  
"I said I'd help."  
"Wait, so, Goldilocks took you to," Tony laughs suddenly, "to Asgard?"  
"Yes," she nods. Tony blank-faces.  
"Oh my god…" Bruce utters in bewilderment.

The others weren't as impressed by that as those two were.

"He wanted me to convince them, to take on another course of action, because of what I can do, because of what I'd seen," she fiddles with her nails, heart aching at memories of his pain.

"Did you?" Steve inquires. She eyes him as if painfully.  
"That's why I wanted to talk to you guys," she says.  
"So, you did convince them," deduces Tony, "that's why he's coming," his eyes go slightly wider.  
"Wha-What the hell did you tell them?! Give him to us?!" Clint asks in disbelief.  
"No," Snow assures. "Just me."  
"Just you?" Tony asks in concern.  
"He'll be staying with me."  
"Is that so, miss White?" a voice asks.

They all turn. At the elevator, he stood, Fury. Maria was by his side, eyebrows knitted at what Snow had just said.

"Security breach!" Tony sighs at the ceiling, irritated by how easily Nick could override it.

Snow felt frozen in place. It was hard enough talking them through it, but Fury?

"We'd detected a lot of activity near your house, miss White," he starts, approaching them as Snow rose to her feet, Tony and Steve too. "Only recently, did we discover that the God of Thunder had been paying you visits. Now, **politely** , I'd come to ask why, only to find that you'd flied off to New York, like a fugitive! Now I know why," he scowls.

Snow plucks up her courage. As the others gaze as uncomfortably as they were still trying to grasp the situation and its facts.

"Nick, listen to me."  
"No, absolutely not! Did you really think you could house Loki without my consent, without my involvement?!" he exclaims, fueling her rage.  
"You know damn-well why I didn't tell you," she spits. Nick clenches his jaw.

Tony steps in.

"Okaaay. Let's just take a breather," he starts, Steve coming to Snow's other side. He turns to her. She explains.

"The council's final decision was banishing Loki to earth, **powerless** ," she stresses the word for assistance.  
" **Earth**. Not **you** ," Nick states.  
"Not you either," Steve retorts irritably. Nick turns to him.  
"That's not your decision to make."  
"Well, it sure as hell ain't yours," Tony tells seriously. "If my memory serves me right, **Nick** , last time you wielded something from Asgard, a war broke loose," he tells.  
"That's-" Nick starts. Tony cuts him off once more.  
"No! You pulled us together, because you needed fighters. Did you ever come to think of the day we'd stand against you?" he asks threateningly.

The air suddenly grows thick, shock, tension, frustration floating in the air as Nick glared daggers into the Stark's face.

"Tell me, Nick. What's your biggest issue with this, I mean really? He's coming down, **powerless**. He's staying with her-"  
"In an apartment, in Charleston!" Nick cuts off. "What if he tries to escape, and wreaks havoc across the streets? Would you be happy then?" he asks Snow. Her heart clinches in fear of that, and frustration of hearing it, all at once.  
"So, 'location'? That's the problem?" Tony offers sarcastically.  
"Containment," Fury corrects.  
"Okay then, they'll stay with me," he says.

Everyone's eyes go wide.

"Tony, I can't-"  
"I **can** ," he stresses, smiling calmly.

Maybe he was being reckless, but he honestly didn't see a problem.

Since the conversation had started, he'd managed to accept a sad fact. Snow was out of his reach now, but, was still his friend.

She called him, asking for help. She came to them, for help. This all started, because she was helping a friend.

It wasn't fair to stand against her.

Still, his suggestion was a bit much, so why'd he offer it?

Well, ever since the war, there was one, small, simple thing, the Stark had been finding near impossible to achieve.

Sleep.

He couldn't,

simply couldn't

sleep at night.

The nightmares. They were too nerve-wrecking.

And when he'd awaken to darkness, to the coldness, and emptiness of his tower, his heart would ache, and he'd find himself fighting back tears. It broke him.

The loneliness was too much, and the only way he could bypass it, was by burying himself in his lab, working on his suits. But that was a temporary, and exhausting solution.

And so, it came as no surprise, that he'd jump at the opportunity, of the nearest door out.

"It's a secure location. Me and Snow will both be keeping an eye on him, and you and point-break can visit any time you'd like, you know, when you're not plotting to use nuclear energy for the **'safety'** of humanity and such," he smirks mischievously. Fury rolls his eye at him.  
"And how would she be helping, if she's all the way in West Virginia?" he asks irritably.  
"Well, that's easy. She can move into the tower," he tells, shocking them further.

The Avengers rolls their eyes at him. It wasn't the first time he'd tried to convince them to move in with him.

"You see, I'm secretly plotting to get everyone to move in, eventually," he grins.  
" **Secretly**? You advertise it like a goddamn real-estate agent!" Clint exclaims from the couch behind, then turns to Snow. "No offense."  
"None taken," she smiles slightly, turning to Stark. "Tony. You know why I can't move in," she says.  
"Hey, look, it's either work from here and babysit the God of Mischief, or go home and let Nick deal with it," he sums up tiredly.

She purses her lips, and turns to Nick, who was waiting for her reply as well, somehow swayed by the Stark's better deal.

This was crazy.

If she'd agree, her whole life would be turned up and over. All of it!

And if she said no…

She'd thought of bad outcomes too many times now, and refused to see them through.

There was no other choice, even when Tony gave her **two** , she only saw one.

She would not let Loki fall to Nick's hands, and not just because she was worried Nick would use him,

she was worried about him,

even when she shouldn't

even when all sanity screamed 'don't',

she couldn't help the guilt succumbing her, for not acting.

And slowly, she nodded.

XXXXX

Startled, he rose in confusion, eyeing his surroundings of a meadow, everlasting, and a great tree, warily.

He jumps to his feet.

"Thor," Snow calls, appearing near the tree suddenly, shocking him.  
"Snow? What are you…" he trails off, eyeing around once more, attempting to understand.

She approaches him calmly. "I need you to listen to me," she tells. He turns to her perplexedly. "There's…been a change of plans," she starts. "You'll bring Loki to Stark's tower, not my house, He'll stay with us there," she explains. Thor processes her words carefully.  
"Okay? What…what happened?" he asks, still confused about his surroundings, but what she was saying was as equally important.

Snow inhales tiredly, turning on her heel and walking up the sloop to the tree, Thor following.

"Nick showed up, complicated things," she tells. At that, Thor's concerns rise. The last thing he wanted to do, was hand his brother over to his enemies. "But it's over now," she smiles assuringly. "He'll just, be staying with me and Tony in the tower. Is that okay?" she asks.  
"I suppose. Yes. I…don't see a problem¬-what is this place?" he asks suddenly. She laughs lightly.

Snow explains his current state. He was as baffled as he was impressed.

She also explained that, should he need to, he would be able to commune with her, by simply calling out to her, and they would reappear in the Valley.

It would certainly come in handy.

"Have you told him yet?" she asks him. Thor shakes his head.

Thor grows silent. His face falls. "Yes," he tells, as if in disappointment. A look of realization falls upon her features.  
"What happened?" she asks in concern.  
"Nothing. He did not speak a word. He…refused to look my way," he explains.

Snow's heart clenches upon hearing this. She could see the hurt in Thor's eyes. She could feel it too, because they were in the Valley.

"He's confused, Thor. Scared…He'll come around. I promise," she assures. Thor locks intent eyes with hers. He flashes her a grateful smile.  
"And when he does, he will be forever grateful to you," he tells firmly, hoping to please her, yet, only succeeding in the opposite. She shakes her head.  
"I'm not doing this for gratitude, Thor," she tells.  
"…

Then why are you doing it?"

he asks, honestly curious.

It seemed it was the question on everyone's mind these days, including her own. She looks down, fiddling with her nails.

"I don't know," she smiles in slight embarrassment. Thor nods, somehow satisfied with her answer. He places a firm hand on her shoulder. She turns to him.  
"Our paths are not always clear at the start," he tells.

At that, she smiles at him happily, for being the first person to say something that seemed to make sense to her.

"Thanks. I really needed to hear that," she tells.  
"Of course. What are friends for?" She grins happily at that.  
"Yeah…"

XXXXXXXXXX


	12. 11: New Beginnings

Two days pass. Snow flies back to Charleston, and spends the second day planning what her next steps would be. Packing procedures. The company. Linda.

But one thing at a time. Linda had to know.

Having been with Snow for years, the White was used to telling her everything. That included the events of New York, and Loki.

Though she left out most details, Linda had a good picture to read.

Still, breaking the news to her wasn't going to be easy, Snow would have to be careful with her words.

She invited Linda over for lunch at their favorite hotspot diner, Pies and Pints. While the forty year-old happily munched down a plate of White Pie, Snow enjoyed a Garden Grinder as she listened to Linda complain about her husband and explain how Lizzy, her daughter, a tough little nugget, got into trouble with school again.

During the time of Linda's distraction with her own words, Snow had been up and down, thinking of how to go about this. And when the food was down, and drinks were served, Snow started to explain the situation.

"Linda, there's something I have to tell you," she starts, honestly wanting this over with.  
"Sure. What's up?"  
"You remember everything I told you…about what happened in New York," she says.

Immediately, Linda frowns. It was quite the story, blasted the news stations, almost gave her a heart-attack, and was enthralling to listen to, all at once.

Still, her girl's life had been at risk. That was the main deal.

"Remember Thor, and Loki?" she resumes. Linda nods, a smirk growing.  
"But of course I remember. How in the world can I forget?!" she exclaims. Snow is unable to find it in her to laugh. She wasn't exactly bearing great news.  
"Right. Well. Something's happened…and…Thor's bringing Loki to earth."

A look of mischievous realization falls upon Linda. She cocks a curious eyebrow, humming thoughtfully. Knowing Snow so well, she was smart enough to recall how oddly Snow acted when speaking of one of those two in specific.

" **And**?" Linda pushes. Snow is wary of her reaction, uncertain what to make of it. She resumes anyways.  
"And he's bringing him to Tony, and I, in New York," she says. Linda stays her silence, processing. A whole minute passes as Snow waits somewhat impatiently for Linda to comprehend the situation. "I'm moving to New York," she pushes.

Linda's eyes widen. Snow physically winces at her growing-to-wrathful reaction.

It certainly didn't happen smoothly, but eventually, reluctantly, Linda accepted what was to happen.

They spent the remaining days readying the company, packing, and saying their temporary goodbyes, as well as planning when next to meet, and how Linda would hold down the office, like she usually did.

Until alas,

the time had come.

XXXXX

Moving in was easier than Snow had expected, thanks to Tony of course.

She'd arrived at New York on the morning of the day of Loki's arrival, still dated to sunset. Tony showed her to her room, which was as enormous as it was breath-taking.

He'd decorated it himself, and boy did he have good taste. Though holding onto being madly expensive, the room gave in to a sense of hominess, a certain warmth to put the White at ease, fully furnished with a cozy-looking bed, a small sitting-area at the side, a flat-screen tv, a walk-closet, a work-area, and a huge bathroom.

After settling in, Tony showed her where Loki would be staying. It too, was grand, but not as bright, or warm as hers. He did however take the liberty of adding some very antique decorations, jokingly-assuming Loki would enjoy them.

It was almost time. The two were seated on the top floor's living room, small-talking, where Thor was sure to land just out on the terrace that they could see through the huge glass windows.

"What?" he asks, noting her subconscious frown. She looks up at him from the adjacent couch.  
"Just. Anxious," she replies, smiling dismissively. Tony leans forward, trying to seem subtle.  
"Anxious to see him?" he asks.  
"Anxious to see his reaction," she corrects.  
"How do you mean?"  
"I just, don't think he's gonna make it easy for us…to help."  
"Well, that's his loose."  
"Tony."  
"No. Really. **We're** the ones switching up our lives for him, if he can't see that-"  
"It's not that he won't see it, it's just…He's been through a lot. Adjusting isn't something he can suddenly do, you know."  
"…Okay. What do you think we should do?"  
"Just…Go easy on him," she requests softly.

Though the amount of care she held for the God of Mischief was irritating, Tony went along, for her, and his sanity's sake.

If they were all going to be living together, he shouldn't make it rough. Easy-going sounded like a plan.

"Yes, go easy, till he stabs you in the back," a voice utters. They turn to see Nick, standing lonesome at the elevator. Tony groans loudly.  
"How do you keep doing that?!" he exclaims. Nick doesn't reply as he walks over to them, and they stand. "What are you doing here, Nick?" Tony asks, crossing his arms in annoyance.  
"I thought I could visit whenever I want," he tells. Tony clenches his jaw irritably.

Then, a vigorous roar of thunder sounds through the sky. They all turn to the window, witnessing as he landed from the sky in a shimmer of bright colors.

And when the dust settled, there they were.

XXXXX

Nick, Snow, and Tony flocked out to meet them.

And when outside,

and when his eyes locked with hers,

her heart raced madly,

and thoughts blurred away.

She couldn't look away,

and was barley aware of her own feet, that carried her through and stopped when the Stark did.

Thor smiles. "Snow. Stark," he greets. Then turns to Nick. His face falls slightly, not expecting him. "Fury," he lets out reluctantly, causing Tony to smirk.  
"Well, this should be good," the Stark says, resting his hands in his pockets.

Loki and Snow exchange glances every few seconds, her at loss for words, him at loss of thoughts.

It took time for him to realize that Thor's claim was true, that he was not to be executed, but sent to earth. It took even longer to accept that it was her who'd freed him, confusing him for days to come, due to a lack of reason behind her peculiar course of actions.

Why?

Why was she helping him?

Why was anyone helping him?

He didn't deserve it. None of it.

And it was that sole belief, that had him wondering, even till that very moment, if it truly was all real.

Was it?

Nick steps forward heavily, re-attracting lost attention to himself as he approached the silent, armored God of Mischief, halting a foot away.

Nick glares coldly at him, and he remains unfazed. "You're on **my** planet. **My** territory. One wrong move, and you'll be spending the rest of your life, wishing they'd cut your head off from the start," he spat.

The others are wary of Loki's reaction, but are surprised when he stays his grim silence. Tony steps in. "Okay, Gandalf. We can take it from here," he tells firmly, hinting at him to take his leave.

Nick ignores him and turns to Snow. "He slips. It's on you," he tells before walking off.

Snow gulps nervously, uncertain who was more pressuring, Nick, or Loki.

Tony eyes her sympathetically, as does Thor. Loki simply observes her in denial.

Thor notes that things have been set in motion as should be. He speaks. "I'm afraid I must take my leave. Asgard is restless, and requires my presence," he tells. Snow nods at him in assurance. Tony grins.

He steps up next to Thor, pats his back as he eyes him curiously. "Go forth, dragon-slayer! Bring us glory!" he exclaims, causing Thor and Snow to smirk in amusement, and Loki to furrow his eyebrows at him as if going 'for real?'.

Thor then turns to Loki. He places a firm hand on his shoulder, smiling softly as Loki cocked an eyebrow at him. "I'll be back to see you soon, brother," he tells. Loki's heart clenches in involuntary concern, as if,

deep,

deep down,

he wanted his sibling to stay.

"Yes, we'll take good care of him. Bu-bye now!" Tony waves. Thor steps back, swings his hammer, and takes off, preferring to call Heimdall from a further distance.

Tony and Snow share a 'get ready' look as Loki stares in daze at a spot on the ground, wincing when the Stark claps his hands together. Snow notes it.

"Right! This way, ladies and gentlemen," he says, walking into the building. Loki roots in spot. He turns to Snow, as if for permission. She notes his hesitance, and flashes him an assuring smile, following Tony, her smile growing when he followed her down.

Tony walks towards the elevator. "Hey, Reindeer Games," he looks at Loki behind his back. "Ever been in an elevator? Hope it isn't… **weird** , or anything," he says, entering it.

Snow and Loki follow in wordlessly. When the mechanism moves, Tony snaps to Loki, eyeing curiously for his reaction, only to find it plain. Loki notes he's staring, and cocks him an irritated eyebrow as Snow watches from the side, surprisingly amused.

"No? Nothing?" Tony asks him. Loki ignores him and looks onward. Snow studies him carefully, attempting to read his current state. "Okaaay then," Tony says awkwardly.

Reaching the required floor, the elevator halts gracefully, beeping softly as its metal doors parted, letting into an awfully similar, modern floor.

"This way." Tony leads them to a hallway with many doors. Snow recalls it was where her bedroom was, and Loki's, and probably Tony's.

Tony stops across Loki's door, opens it, and enters, gesturing about with his arms spread proudly.

Loki eyes around warily, disliking everything, not because it looked bad.

Loki was on foreign territory. Usually, he'd enjoy the exploration,

but

he hadn't been home in so long,

he'd forgotten what it felt like,

and this was no different.

The knowledge of thinking he'd never be at ease sunk his scarred heart further, and he felt something he'd been feeling a lot of lately,

self-pity.

"Okay. So. This is where you'll be staying. Now, the rest of the tour-" Tony turns, and halts his words when Snow shakes her head at him softly as Loki eyed around. "Or. You know. We could, later," he starts instead, headed back to the door. He gently pushes Snow out with him, speaking in whispers.

Yet, Loki could still hear them, and he listened intently.

Tony takes a moment to think. "I'm gonna be down in the lab. If you need anything…If he **does** anything-"  
"Tony. I'll be fine," she tells firmly, smiling for emphasize. She saw reluctance in his eyes, before he sighed tiredly, nodding as he pinched the bridge of his nose.  
"Okay. Just be careful," he tells seriously. She nods once more, and he takes his leave.

It was not strange for Loki to be feared, the vice was odd, and she was fairly a mystery to him.

Snow walks back into the room to find that Loki had stationed across the window, eyeing the busy streets, sadness dancing across his eyes.

She takes cautious steps towards him.

"Why?"

he suddenly spoke.

His voice caught her off guard. She froze momentarily, then resumed approaching him, regaining her posture. "Why what?" she retorts.

He turns, locking ice-blue eyes with hers, causing her heart to hammer involuntarily. "Why did you come to Asgard?" he asked as if in disappointment.

Her thoughts raced at the question that never seemed to hold a straight answer. She crossed her arms as if defensively before saying: "Because your brother asked me to."

He cocked a disbelieving eyebrow. "So you turned your whole life around, because my **brother** asked you to?" he asked in semi-mock. She tensed.

Never a good answer.

"Would you rather I have left you?" she said instead.

His gaze faltered, turning away wordlessly.

She was dodging. He could tell that much.

Snow gulped nervously. This was harder than she'd reckoned it to be.

"I'm, uh, gonna let you get some rest," she told, heading to walk back as he focused his gaze out the window, hands clasped behind his back.

She stops near his closet, recalling something important. Snow slides it open and he turns at the noise. It was empty inside, aside from the two outfits she'd bought him herself.

She pulled out a black, plain, sleeved, cotton shirt, and turned to him, holding it up. He eyed her in confusion as she approached him, her concentration set on the cloth as she exchanged glances between it and his form, giving a content nod.

"It should do for now, in case you wanna get out of that armor," she smiled softly, causing his heart to clench as if in confusion. She noted his expression and pursed her lips, folding the cloth and tossing it onto the bed, turning her attention to him.

"Look. I know…all of this is…too much," she started, gaining his undivided attention,

her few,

simple

words,

almost painful

because of how physically painless they were.

"But, soon enough, you'll come to realize it for what it really is…

a second chance."

Loki listens to her heartedly, wanting badly to believe her,

yet,

unable to.

"And all I ask of you then, is to appreciate it," she last said.

Loki stayed his silence,

but change was evident in his once hardened features, satisfying her purpose.

She walked back to the door, turning to glance at him one more time. "I'll be down the hall if you need anything," she told just before heading out and closing the door behind,

leaving Loki to think her words over,

as she wished he would.

XXXXX

In her room, Snow retired to unpacking the rest of her boxes. It was already night, and she'd flied in just that morning. Safe to say, she was jet-lagged.

An hour or so later, Tony came in to check up on her. He gave a soft knock on the already-open door.

Her heart jumps. She turns, and relaxes upon seeing it was just Tony, leaning on the arch, arms folded, the usual smirk plastered on his face. "Hey," he calls. She flashes him a quick smile, turning back to the box's contents.  
"Hey," she retorts.  
"So, how'd it go?"

"…With Loki…"  
"Oh. Um. Well, I guess."  
"Did he say anything?"  
"Uh, yeah," she replies, halting her actions and turning to the Stark, who'd strolled to the turtle on her desk, seriously. She folded her arms uncomfortably. "He asked me why I…agreed to help him," she explains.

Tony studies her carefully, not entirely sure why that was upsetting her. His concern was quickly replaced by curiosity, wanting to see exactly where her and the God of Mischief stood.

"Annnd…what did you say?" he asked subtly.  
"I told him, because his brother asked me to," she answered, rubbing at an invisible spot on the desk with her thumb.

Tony hummed doubtfully, but left it at that.

The White yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. "Call it a night?" he asks, amused. She smiles, nodding.  
"You?"  
"Uhh. Yeah. In a bit," he replied uncertainly.

Him?

Sleep?

Right.

"Night, princess," he told, walking back to the door.  
"Night, Tony."

Before heading to sleep, Snow shadowed her way outside Loki's room, using her senses to insure he was still inside without disturbing him, before retiring to her room once more.

XXXXXXXXXX


	13. 12: Progress

The next morning, Jarvis bid her a good one, causing her to smile in amusement at how polite the AI was. She freshened up, and made her way to the kitchen, having memorized which floor it was on, passing by Loki's room as she did.

The kitchen was as modern as it was lavish.

She could get used to this.

She made herself some coffee, and picked a bagel from the closet-sized fridge, having breakfast as she read over the news on her phone.

Half-an hour later, Tony awoke as well, dressed and ready to head out to the company. They small-talk, till it's time for him to leave.

He hesitates, even though they'd gone through this before Loki showed up. She continuously assured him that she'd be fine left alone with Loki, that he shouldn't worry.

He repeated the fact that if Jarvis hears her scream, He'd deploy a bunch of his suits to the rescue, and he himself would be there before she knew it. She nodded along. Even though she thought it was all too much, still, she appreciated how much Tony cared.

Soon enough, he left.

Snow went back to her room, picked up the phone, and filled Linda in on the day before, even though she'd called her the minute she landed, she understood that Linda would get overprotective the first few days, as Tony was being.

When well and done, Snow looked out the open door, inhaling deeply, every instinct telling her the same thing.

Eventually, she quit stalling, and made her way to his room. Snow gave three soft knocks.

No answer.

But she knew he was inside. She cautiously opened the door, hoping she wouldn't catch him of guard, or else. She calmed once she spotted him on an arm-chair near the window, looking at her expectantly, still armored.

Snow pushed the door open and walked in, semi-casually, wondering when she'd stop feeling so heavy around him, and why he seemed so intimidating to begin with.

She crosses her arms and furrows her eyebrows, stopping a few feet from him, near the bed that was still perfectly made.

"Did you get **any** sleep last night?" she asked subconsciously concerned. He picked that up quickly.

Sleeping soundly in a bed wasn't something he could suddenly get back to doing, after having spent months in prison cells, tortured to the brim.

A bed seemed a stranger to him.

And her concern? It wasn't comforting. It was strange. He didn't know what to make of it.

Yet,

deep down,

in the part of his heart that still lived, breathed, and yearned for life. He needed it.

He needed her.

"Does it matter?" he retorts plainly.  
"Loki," she breathes tiredly. He studies her curiously as she headed to sit on the edge of his bed. "You can't encourage depression," she advised hopefully. He ignored it, and stared out the window.

Well, that didn't help.

Snow brainstorms.

She gets an idea, rising to her feet.

"Come on. I have something to show you," she smiles, heading to the door. He simply stares after her, not moving a muscle.

She turns irritably, placing a hand on the door's arch. "Don't make me come get you myself," she smirks, trying to lighten the mood, and get comfortable.

He cocks an eyebrow at her. She stares back daringly.

Realizing she was being serious, Loki reluctantly gets to his feet.

She smiles contently and resumes her walk, him following some ways behind. They reach the elevator and climb in. The air was heavy, and she did her best to avoid constantly glancing at him. He could read her tense posture like an open book, but couldn't find it in him to care.

They reached the required floor and climbed out, walking a few ways before stopping by a pair of double doors, moderate in size.

Snow pushes them open, strolling in. Loki enters, a certain air of familiarity filling his senses, indulging him a necessary amount of relief.

He looks her way momentarily, and this time, she's staring back, arms folded and smiling contently.

"What?" he asks somewhat irritably. She shakes her head softly.  
"Nothing…I just figured you'd get comfortable here," she explained eyeing around admirably. He takes a few steps towards the nearest desk, poking a finger into its wood.  
"Did my brother tell you that too?"

She furrows her eyebrows at that, then lets out a chuckle. "You two don't get along that well, do you?" she retorts, forcing a slight smirk onto his features.  
"That would be an understatement."  
"Right. Well, I can see why."  
"Can you, now?"  
"Well, yeah. I mean, you're both so different."  
"You barely **know** either of us," he notes in mocks.  
"True, but I know enough to say that confidently," she smiles teasingly. He looks away, as if refusing to be humored.

Snow's face falls slightly. "You know he loves you, right?" she speaks. Loki frowns at her words, disliking them greatly. He does not reply. "Okay. Sour topic. My bad," she shakes off, heading towards one of the sections.

Brushing it off as well, Loki follows after her. She stops by the literature section. Though she wasn't a huge fan, she figured Loki could use something distracting rather than informative in his current mood.

He studies her curiously as she browses through them. She could feel his eyes on her, and involuntarily heats up. She inhales warily. "Right. So. Um. There are a lot of books here that could…um, that you might find…" she stumbles for words, glancing to see the soft smirk on his face, causing her to laugh out nervously,

and it was the sweetest sound he'd ever heard in so long.

"Sorry. Just…some of the best writers have books here, that I think might interest you," she explains, intent on keeping her cool. "Shakespeare, my personal favorite, Hemingway, Jefferson."

He browsed through them himself as she watches contently. Her phone buzzes in her pocket and she furrows her eyebrows at it irritably, pulling it out. Loki turns at the noise.

Snow notes its Linda and turns to him. "Sorry. I have to take this," she says turning away and walking a few ways off.

Not far enough though, he could still hear her, **and** the person on the other end of the line.

"Hey, Li."  
 _"Heeey, Snow. How've you been? You havin' a good day?"_ she draws, frustration evident in her tone.  
"Okay. What is it?" Snow rolls her eyes.  
 _"Oh, not much, just that itsy-bitsy little REPORT that should have been with me_ ** _two_** _hours ago!"_

Snow closes her eyes momentarily. "I totally forgot about that," she notes shamefully.  
 _"Course you did. Probably too busy making out with the God of Mischief!"_  
"Linda!" Snow whispers harshly as Loki suppresses a chuckle, pretending to browse the shelf. "I swear, if you don't stop, I'll ignore all your calls for the next week!" Snow threatens quietly.  
 _"Alright! Alright…I'm just worried!"_  
"Everyone is…" Snow sighs tiredly.

At that, Loki frowns.

It never got old,

being reminded how everyone truly saw him.

"But I've had enough of it, so do me a favor, and trust me," she tells.  
 _"Honey, it's not you that I don't trust."_  
"Well, **I** trust him," Snow states firmly.

Loki tilts his head upon hearing that, both doubtful and curious.

"Therefore, so do you," Snow resumes.  
 _"Reverse-psychology won't work on me, doll."_  
" **Goodbye** , Linda," Snow draws.  
 _"Don't forget the reports!"_  
"I won't. Bye."

Snow turns to Loki, who's smirking down at the book. She furrows her eyebrows at him. "What's so funny?" she asks.  
"…Nothing," he replies plainly, scouring the pages.

It was then that she couldn't help the question: _'Could he hear us?'_

Not wanting to find out, Snow changes the topic. "Right. Well. I have to work, sooo. I'll be back in a couple hours for dinner, till then, I'll be in my room if you need me. K?" He gives a nod. She turns away, content with the progress of the day.

XXXXX

Two hours later, Snow's in the kitchen. Coming to lately discover that Loki probably hadn't had a good meal since forever, she wanted to ensure that whatever she would cook, would include starch, veggies, and meat.

Surprisingly, Tony's kitchen was quite full, and the equipment looked too homie to have possibly been used by professional caterers. Did he cook himself?

Nevertheless, she found all she needed to make a proper meal, enough for three, and leftovers.

An hour or so later, it was ready. She packed two plates, and made her way back to the library. She would have waited, but Tony stressed not to. He'd be coming in late that night, and wouldn't keep them waiting.

She pushed the door open with her back, to find Loki seated on a desk, legs prompted up, book in hand, and several others on the table.

She smiles brightly, glad to see he was indulging himself in something other than sulking.

"I see you've been busy," she notes. He simply glances at her in reply, barely moving a muscle. She approached him, more confident than before.

Snow laid his plate down beside him, and pushed herself half-onto the desk, one leg dangling, and the other touching the floor. It seemed as though he gave little interest to her actions, but he was intently watching her every move discreetly.

"Care to take a dinner-break?" she offers subtly.  
"I'm not hungry," he replies solely, eyes fixated on the book. She cocks a doubtful eyebrow.  
"Really? When was the last time you ate?" she asks. He does not reply. She rolls her eyes. "Okay. Loki. I'm not sitting with a baby! Eat. Or I will feed you myself," she threatens half-jokingly.

His eyes lock with hers almost too suddenly, causing her to freeze. He put the book down, his expression between that of a confused one, and an amused one. He seemed to study her, she couldn't tell. But he was awfully intimidating when he wanted to be.

Having read himself into a better mood, her attention didn't seem as heavy as it was just that morning. He would humor her, for both their sakes.

Loki turned his attention to the plate. He picked it up, and the spoon beside it, leaning back into the chair and eating silently.

The sudden turn of events caught her off guard, and it took her a moment to regain her senses and go back to eating as well.

A silly part of her wondered what he thought of the food, but he said nothing, and she didn't push.

A few minutes later, he speaks. "The woman on the communication device, your mother?" he asks out-of-the-blue. She processes his question.  
"No. But a close friend. And," she chuckles, him cocking an eyebrow, "if Tony catches you saying 'communication device', he'll never let you hear the end of it. It's a phone," she smiles, and had it been despite the smile, he'd have thought she was mocking him.

Stark. He was certainly a curious case as well. Loki could at least, on some level, comprehend Snow's involvement, but the Stark's?

Nevertheless, if he was to spent the remainder of his life, something he was yet to accept, on earth, he'd get the chance to figure it out.

"Did you read **all** of these?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows at the noted-to-be up to six books. He gives a sole nod. "Impressive," she smirks. He suppresses a smile. "Which did you enjoy most?"

He reluctantly reaches out to one of the books, touching it with his index finger. "Hamlet? A little depressing, but not a bad choice," she states, engaging in a not-so-bad conversation.

 _"_ _Miss White, Mister Stark has arrived at the building,"_ Jarvis's voice tells softly.  
"I'll be right there," she replies. Snow turns to Loki's now empty plate, she picks it up, and hers. She gets up, and turns to him. "Wanna come-" He glances up as if already about to say no. She raises a hand. "Never mind," she smiles dismissively, heading off.

XXXXX

Snow renters the kitchen, dispensing the plates in the sink and washing them, as the Stark appeared at the elevator, suit-jacket slung over his shoulder lazily. He smiles in greet, approaching her. "Hey."  
"Hey," she retorts. "And how was your day?" she questioned jokingly, noting how tired he looked.  
"Oh, you know. Office, papers, people, the usual crap," he sighs, leaning on the counter beside her.  
"Sounds fun," she states sarcastically, causing him to spare a smirk.  
"And how was **your** day?" he retorts, just then noting the pots on the stove, heading to peek in.  
"Oh, you know, office, papers, people," she draws jokingly. He grins.  
"And how's our guest?"  
"Friendlier than yesterday." He gives a thoughtful look.  
"Cool. Where is he?"  
"The library."  
"I'll go say 'hi'," Tony states mischievously, walking off.  
"Tony. Wait. If he doesn't say much, don't take it personally," she tells. He processes this, then nods.

XXXXX

"Hey," Tony calls, walking in. Loki doesn't reply, doesn't even look up from the book in his hand, causing Tony to grin knowingly.

He pulls a chair from another desk, it creaking on the floor loudly, causing Loki to clench his jaw irritably at the sound. Tony sits with his chest to the back of the chair, facing Loki.

"And how was your day?" he asks teasingly. Again, Loki says nothing. "No. Nothing?...Your brother would have said something," Tony smirks. At that Loki glares up at him, only feeding into Tony's play.  
"Is there something I can help you with, **Stark**?" Loki stresses in annoyance.

Tony pretends to think, then shakes his head. "Mmm no. Not really. Watcha readin'?...Hamlet? That's depressing," he says.

Getting tired of this game, Loki puts down the book, and leans in to Tony. "Why don't we cut the act, and you tell me…why you agreed to all of this," he offers in a demanding tone. "For her?" he asks suggestively.

Tony's playful demeanor falters at that.

"No, prick. For **you** ," he tells irritably. Loki scoffs.  
"Please," falling back into the chair.  
"Know why?...Because I felt **sorry** for you, that's why. Because Snow wasn't the only one...

who saw **fear** …

in your eyes," he tells sympathetically.

Loki's eyes widen at Tony's words, a combination of embarrassment, frustration, and confusion clouding his cool.

"And, you know, I've been there. Maybe not the same place, but…I know damn well what it's like to fall."  
"…I don't need your sympathy."  
"And I'm not giving it," Tony retorts.

A moment of silence follows. Loki considers Tony's words, unable still to fully comprehend them, to fully accept, that in his own home, he was unbelieved, and here?

Tony however, was looking for a way to break the ice. His eyes catch sight of Loki's lavish armor. "Have you been wearing that since yesterday?" he asks in slight shock. Loki eyes him weirdly.

Tony's eyes go wide. He jumps to his feet suddenly, clapping his hands as Loki wondered what in the world he was doing now. "I know what we can do tomorrow!" he exclaims, then turns to Loki, grinning like a mad-man. "We're taking you shopping…"

XXXXXXXXXX


	14. 13: Rollercoaster

"I mean, it's…an idea," Snow says uncertainly.  
"No," Loki states firmly.  
"Oh, come on! It'll be fun!" Tony insists.  
"Okay. Even if we do, he can't go out looking like this," Snow notes. Loki cocks an eyebrow at her. She quickly corrects herself. "I mean, the armor, and. Someone might recognize you," she says. Tony smirks at the slip. Loki eyes them both disbelievingly.  
"I am **not** going anywhere," he says.  
"For god's sake, Malfoy! You have nothing to wear!" Tony shouts tiredly. Loki glares at him irritably, wondering why he insists on calling him names. He then unwilling considers the Stark's words.

He sighs.

Wanting this conversation over with, Loki does something neither of them would expect. In the blink of an eye, the God of Mischief alters his look, to something more…

human.

Snow and Tony's eyes widen. A new man stood across them, bearing Loki's face, but skin tanned, hair shortened, and brown. Wearing a suit that looked designer-made.

A full minute passed with the two just standing there, eyes wide and mouths hanging in shock.

Snow's heart hammered madly in her chest. She dismissed it, furrowing her eyebrows and grateful her mind had picked up on something more important than how attractively distracting Loki could be.

"You can use magic?" she asks in confusion. "How?"  
"Odin can't take everything," he cocks a mischievous eyebrow.  
"Holy hell…

That is a killer suit!"

exclaims Tony. Snow turns to him in shock.  
"Tony," she calls. He turns to her in confusion, then gets it.  
"Right. Magic. So? He's smart enough to know not to use it against us. Right?" Tony states suggestively.  
"Only if you don't annoy me," Loki replies. She exchanges disbelieving glances between both of them. Tony grins.  
"That can be arranged."  
"Does…"  
"No one knows," Loki answers her unspoken question, giving a look that requested not to say anything.  
"…Okay…" she replies, nodding firmly.  
"Yeah. No worries. We can keep a secret," Tony winks. Loki's eyes linger on Snow for a moment, then turn to Tony with disinterest.

One would think Snow and Tony were being irresponsible, knowing something so dangerous, and letting it slide. But they knew better.

If Loki had wanted to hurt them, he would have already. They'd unknowingly reached a sense of acceptance,

and peace,

between one another.

"So, is it real, or just another…illusion?" he asks.  
"Not real," Loki replies.  
"Perfect! Now we **have** to go tomorrow!" he exclaims.  
"If we're **done** here, I'm going to need my energy if I am to spend **all** of tomorrow with the two of you," Loki states, altering back to his armor and heading to leave the library. Snow unwillingly baffles at how unbelievingly handsome he seemed in any form.  
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" Tony asks in annoyance. He glances at Snow, who held a bright smile on her features.  
"What're you so happy about?" he asks suspiciously.  
"It's just,

he made fun of us.

I'd say that's a work in progress," she states. At that, Tony smiles as well.

XXXXX

 _"_ _Sir, master Loki refuses to leave his room,"_ Jarvis tells. Tony flips the last pancake with an irritated sigh.  
"Then tell Snow we're having breakfast in **his** room," Tony tells.  
"Very well, sir."  
"If you drop that plate, Dummy, no extra arm for you," Tony warns his one-armed robot.

He picks up the other two and makes his way to the elevator. He reaches the required floor and bounces out, making his way to Loki's.

He expertly places the other plate on his arm, freeing one hand to knock. He does so twice. "Ready or not, here I come!" he shouts in warning, barging in.

Tony and Dummy waltz in uninvited, to find Loki glaring at them from near the window. "Morning, princess," Tony grins.  
"What are you doing here?" Loki asks irritably.  
"Me? Why I've spent the last fifteen minutes making you your first ever plate of pancakes. Wasn't gonna let it go to waste," he states, placing the plate on Loki's bedside table, then flopping onto the bed. Loki eyes the plate warily. At least what Snow made the day before was familiar. What in the world's name was that?!

A soft knock sounds on the open door, and they turn to see Snow standing there, eyeing the situation in confusion.

"Princess number two! Care to join us?" Tony offers as Loki eyes her as if in relief. "Dummy, give her the plate," Tony tells.

Dummy gives a few beeps, making its way to her. She smiles at him in amusement, taking it from him and making her way next to Tony.

"What's going on?" she asks, taking a bite out, savoring how unbelievably delicious it was as Loki awaited an explanation from the Stark.  
"Our Loki's about to have his first pancake! Yay!" Tony exclaims sarcastically.  
"I'm not eating **that** ," Loki tells.  
"Oh, but it's really good," Snow says, then turns to Tony as Loki takes as seat across them on the chair. "How did you make these?" she asks in admiration.  
"With lots of love," he smirks. Tony turns to Loki. "Eat!" Loki glares in reply.  
"Mmm," Snow agrees, swallowing another piece. "I promise, you won't regret it," she tells seriously.

A moment passes as Loki debates agreeing. For some reason, hearing it from her was different, more effective. It was irritating. He turs his gaze to Tony, who looked like a young boy awaiting praise, refusing to eye away until he ate.

Loki gave an annoyed sigh, leaning forward and grabbing the plate. He'd been watching them eat, so he figured he knew what to do. Reluctantly, he brought a piece into his mouth, swaying it around till his taste-buds responded as if they'd found a jewel.

Though it tasted marvelous to the God of Mischief, he stubbornly refused to show, falling back into the chair with the plate and eating silently. Tony smiles brightly still, as does Snow.

"I'm gonna take that as a 'Wow! Tony, these are amazing'," Tony says. "Now pick up pace, we leave in thirty." Loki glares at him once more. Tony's too busy eating to notice. Snow does though.  
"Isn't it a little early?" Snow says for him, relieving Loki.  
"Well, we've got a lot to do. I mean, the dude needs shirts, pants, shoes, **undies** ," he grins like a child. Snow rolls her eyes as Loki furrows his eyebrows at the word. "And maybe a haircut."  
"You're not touching my hair."  
"Okay. Easy, Rapunzel."

Loki dismisses the name. It seemed he would have to get used to it. No point in arguing.

"Besides. You know…Dinner," Tony said like it was an obvious necessity. "We're gonna take his highness out on a date," he grins. Loki pinches the bridge of his nose.

It would be a long day.

XXXXX

Tony made the drive to the mall quick, and not as awkward as they were secretly worried it would be.

In **one** of his Mercedes Tony took the wheel, Snow seated at the front beside him, and Loki in the back.

While Tony and Snow discussed which shops to visit first, Loki silently watched the world pass from the window.

Was this it?

Was this really it?

Was he truly to spend the rest of his life here? Amongst mortals, mortals he once deemed incapable, mortals even Odin deemed weaker.

Was he to become

one of them?

The question didn't linger long enough for him to see the truth, to feel it.

But how much longer would he be able to keep it all bottled up? How long before distractions ran out?

Pulling into a VIP section in the garage, Tony climbs out of the car, along with the others.

They use an elevator to get out of the garage, and Loki wonders why there were so many elevators in this realm.

Even though he was reluctant, and Snow knew, she was to pay a visit to the bank on the top floor while he and Tony shopped for undergarments. It would be even more awkward if she tagged along anyways.

After half an hour of Loki confused, annoyed, uncomfortable, and Tony laughing his breath out at the situation, they finally leave the shop, having bought what they needed.

Snow meets with them, unable, and unwilling to get used to Loki's disguise. She approaches in amusement, seeing the expressions on both their faces.

"What happened?" She asks knowingly. Tony let's out a short laugh as Loki glares at him.  
"Oh my god! It was unbelievable," Tony says. Loki sighs tiredly. "You should have seen the look on his face, when he saw the boxers!" Tony laughs heartedly at the last word, gesturing with his hands in the wind, as if stretching a pair of invisible boxers, causing Snow to blush and smirk nervously at what Tony was implying.  
"Yes, and you should have seen how much attention this jester's laughter drew to us," Loki stresses in extreme irritancy, causing Tony to laugh again.  
"I'm sorry! Haha! I couldn't-hahaha!"

"Yes, well, thankfully, you never have to go through that again," Snow tells Loki with a smile, touching his upper-arm for assurance.

His gaze softens upon landing on her.

Since his powers weren't as they were, he was unable to deduced that she was also looking into his current state, uncertain why herself. He was stressed. Very stressed. And deep down.. sad? Why was he sad?

Tony exchanges glances between them mischievously, smirking knowingly. "Okay, lovebirds, time to move on," he says walking past them and patting Loki on the back.

Loki and Snow stand for a moment, glaring after him at the inappropriate comment. They exchange an awkward glance and follow the Stark to the next shop.

They enter, and Tony leads them to the men section. He then turns to Loki. "Okay, so tell me, Prince Caspian," Loki rolls his eyes at the name. "What look are you going for? Hm? What are we looking for? A dark mysterious, sorta vibe, orrr maybe a sophisticated 'I don't care about anything' kinda look."  
"How about you just look around, and tell us what you like," Snow offers quickly, noting that Loki probably couldn't understand a word Tony was saying, and that he probably didn't like not knowing stuff. Loki turns to her as if gratefully for getting the Stark to shut up.  
"Or we could do that," Tony nods, noting the agreement in Loki's eyes.

As Loki steps forward and browses, Tony 'oh's at something and heads to check it out. Snow jumps at the chance and hurries to Loki.

"Hey," she calls. He turns to her. "I know most of these really aren't your style," she starts, and he immediately reliefs that he wasn't the only one who thought so. "But think of it this way. You're only going to wear these in the tower. And there's so much to pick from, so choose whatever you feel most comfortable with, then we'll get to the good stuff," she smiles mischievously.

Loki weighs her words. He turns his attention back to the clothes stand, sighing tiredly. "You Midgardians have horrible taste," he cringed in disgust, causing her to grin in amusement.  
"I know," she utters, recalling the gorgeous gown they'd made her wear back on Asgard.

Snow's eyes glance a piece behind him. She walks to it, a black, long-sleeved shirt, pulling it out from the shelves and unfolding it.

She walks back to him, placing it in front of him like she'd done at the tower. She smiles. "This will look good on you. The real you, anyways," she says.  
"You don't like this look?" he asks curiously.  
"Well, no. I just like the real you better," she replies nonchalantly, then realizes what she'd said.

Her eyes dart to his face, seeing what she'd expected, a 'you're busted' look. She laughs to decrease embarrassment, playing at his heart's broken strings.

She pulls the shirt down, turning her attention to the Stark who'd just walked back to them. He's holding up a bright yellow, button-up shirt, grinning at it.

"What'd you guys think?" he asks. Loki eyes it in utter disgust. Snow squints her eyes at it.  
"Really?" she asks uncertainly, trying to decline politely. Tony furrows her eyebrows at her, then realization hits him.  
"Oh, no. This is for me. This…" he pulls down the hanger, revealing another, black one. "For him? What do ya think?" Loki's face falls in relief, Snow's too.  
"Yeah, that's not bad," she nods happily.

About forty minutes of picking, debating, and trying on, Loki changes out of the final pick in the changing room.

Tony's next to Snow, near a dress stand. "You're not paying for all of this on your own! I'll pay for half," she says firmly.  
"No. You're not. Look, why are you making a big deal out of it. I'm not judging. I **want** to pay."  
"What do you mean **want**?"  
"I mean…I've been living alone for the past three months. I've got nothing better to spend my money on. So just, let it slide," he tells.

Snow sees a hint of desperation in his eyes. Something was wrong there. She couldn't put it together, but her instinct was not to push. She gave a sigh. "Fine," she breathes tiredly.  
"Good. So…are you gonna try that on, orrr?" he asks. She furrows her eyebrows momentarily, then turns to the dress her fingers were brushing. She smiles, shaking her head softly.  
"No," she dismisses.  
"Oh, come onnn. We're all buying stuff. Your turn," he tells.

Her phone rings. "I gotta take this," she says, walking off. He sighs irritably, heading back to the changing rooms.

He gives a knock on Loki's door. "You still alive in there?" he asks sarcastically. In the same second, Loki walks out, shoving the shirts into his arm. Tony inhales. _'I_ ** _don't_** _like being handed things,'_ he thinks.

Tony hands the clothes to the lady awaiting patiently beside him. He gives her his signature smirk, and turns to Loki once more.

"Hey. See that dress over there," he points, resting a hand on Loki's shoulder. Loki glances at it irritably, then turns his attention to the dress. "Snow's got her eyes on it, but out of humble courtesy, refuses to buy it," he explains. Loki intently listens, fully focused. "She's coming. Keep me covered," Tony says, snapping him out of it.

Snow's turns to them, smiling. "All set?" she asks.  
"Uh, yeah. Just that small, little thing-we're not leaving until you try on that dress. Tell her," Tony says.

Loki sighs tiredly at him, then turns to Snow, who's folded her arms, awaiting his response to that. It seemed silly that she'd refuse to get herself something out of humility. He surprisingly agreed with the Stark. Now how would he say it subtly?

"If I have to endure this torture, so should you," he eventually says. Tony grins.  
"Couldn't have said it better myself!"  
"You guys are unbelievable," she smiles in amusement, honestly warmed by their persistence, especially his. "Fine. But **I'm** paying for it," she states firmly. Tony hesitates, then rolls his eyes.  
"Okay, fine. You're the boss."

Snow heads to pick it up, along with another one that had caught her interest. She heads to the girls' changing room. They follow, waiting outside on the round stools. Tony checks his phone as Loki sits, lost in thought.

A few minutes later, Snow comes out in a wine-red, knee-length, ¾ sleeved drees, with a ribbon on the waist, and a V-neck.

"Well?" she speaks, grasping their attention. The two opposite her are speechless for a moment. Then, Tony grins.  
"Stunning. Absolutely stunning. Right?" he nudges Loki with his elbow. Loki struggles to find a slim answer. He gives a slight nod.  
"Fine," was his sole reply,

but

for some reason,

it put a grin on her face,

like she knew he was hiding more. Tony, however, thought he was being an idiot.

She turned back inside, coming out with a different dress. She places a hand on her hip expectantly. They eye it with less interest. "Meh," Tony utters.  
"Noted," she calls, heading to change.

Alas, it was time for their pre-final stop, a suit shop. They head in, and immediately, Loki's eyes light up. "Welcome to candy-land," Tony spreads his arms, grinning, turning to Loki, content with his impressment, as was Snow.

They pick out a few suits. Loki heads in to try them. He comes out with the first few, and Snow found it extremely difficult to act neutral. Loki notices, so does Tony.

The Stark leans in near her ear as Loki changes inside. "You're practically drooling, White," he smirks. She turns to him in shock, subconsciously touching her mouth. She punches him in the arm irritably, and it actually hurt. He should be grateful she hadn't used her full strength.

Eventually, the three were done with quite the productive day. Now all that was left, was dinner.

Before heading off, Snow excused herself to the bathroom, leaving the boys waiting outside, where Tony handed one of the mall's staff members the bags to set at the car.

He then turns to Loki, who was staring after the departing White. He grins. Loki, feeling his eyes on him, turns irritably.

"What?" he asks.  
"Could you want her more?" Tony asks, playing match-maker for the day. Maybe if he found it entertaining, he'd stop feeling that pinch of jealousy.

Loki widens his eyes at him. "I beg your pardon?!" he exclaims in annoyance. Tony rolls his eyes.  
"Oh, come on. I've seen the way you look at her," he says. Loki turns away, refusing to give in to the Stark's game. "I mean, I get." Loki turns at the change in Tony's tone, studying him carefully. "Smart. Brave. Beautiful."  
"It sounds to me like **you're** the one yearning for her affection, Stark," Loki states blandly. Tony eyes him plainly.  
"I lost my chance when **you** came back, pretty boy," he tells. A look of realization crosses Loki.

Conflicted by both a discovery he'd already suspected, and the slightest of petty, or debt, for the Stark across him. He looks away again.

"Well, if it's any condensation, she never would have gone for you." Tony is about to retaliate, but realizes something of vast importance. Loki was trying to…comfort him? Maybe. Or mock him. He wasn't sure.  
"You know, a part of me thinks so too," he says in slight disappointment. Loki spares a glance of observation. "The other part knows I'm too charming to resist," he grins. Loki rolls his eyes at him. "No point, now that you're here," he says, face falling once more. Loki listens intently, uncertain what to make of that revelation.

It wasn't easy, coping with all of this, and his feeling foremost. His feelings for her, the girl who'd saved him, time and again. But she was so much more than that, he was simply unable, and half-unwilling out of concern, to give in to anything.

"But, let me make something very clear," Tony speaks, a tone that seemed more serious than before. Loki turns to him curiously. Tony steps in front of him until they are a foot apart, glaring intently. "You break her heart; I will make your life on earth…a living hell."

Upon hearing the Stark's threat, Loki is unable to suppress a smile of both amusement, and slight impressment. Thinking he could take him, and would probably try, his respect for the Stark had grown.

Snow then returns. She is wary of their stance. "Everything okay?" she asks in concern. Tony turns to her, slapping on a smile.  
"Yeah. Totally. Come on. Let's go eat," he replies nonchalantly. Snow turns her gaze to Loki, who was observing her as well. She tried to pick up the truth from his eyes as Tony walked off, but she couldn't.

Tony leads them towards the restaurant on the roof. Fancy, expensive. Of course. Snow didn't mind, neither did Loki. And she probably shouldn't even bother trying to convince Tony to split the bill.

The waiter hands them menus. He hands Loki one. He simply stares off, ignoring him. Snow hurriedly takes it for him, smiling in apology at the confused waiter. Tony doesn't notice as he flips through the pages.

"So, what are we having?" he asks.  
"Mm, what do you recommend?" she asks, glancing every now and then at Loki. She didn't even need to touch him to pick up on the tension that seemed to be growing by the second.

He suggests a dish, and she takes it. He asks Loki, he retorts by not being hungry. Tony doesn't take no for an answer, and gets him what Snow's having.

He orders, his phone rings, he stands, and walks off to the railing to pick it up, leaving Snow and Loki alone.

She turns to him, quiet for a moment, weighing words in her head, what to say. She had to say something. She couldn't stand how stressed he was, and she didn't even know why! She felt an untamable need to comfort him.

"I know…this is all…too much," she speaks. Too suddenly, Loki places a hand on hers, his cold, yet warm, all at once. He eyes her intently, stealing all words, all thought from her mind.  
"Snow, just stop. Please," he says.

His words seem to snap her out of her trance, but didn't help her racing heart, or creeping blush. She let his emotions flow through her, and they were as she'd expected, but with a small hint of…admiration, but mostly desperation.

It was clear words were not what he'd needed then, so she spoke no more, and nodded her head at him slowly.

Content with her consideration, he pulls his hand back, uncertain why he'd placed it in the first place.

Tony walks back. "So, it looks like our little adventure has to be cut short. After we eat, I'll drop you kids off at the tower, and head to the company," he explains.  
"Is everything okay?" Snow asks.  
"Yeah. Everything's fine. Just some paper work that has to be ready **yesterday** , sooo," he laughs, "yeah." Snow shakes her head at his silliness.

The evening passes somewhat gracefully. Turns out, their company to one another wasn't all bad. Tony seemed to get that humorous persistence was the only way to get Loki to do anything. And Snow understood that a little calm was the best way to keep him on their side, and somewhat calm himself.

She was determined to show, that he would not be going through this alone.

XXXXXXXXXX


	15. 14: Reality

At the tower, Snow and Loki head up the elevator in silence. She was dying to say something, anything, but managed to keep her mouth shut, till they split paths to their rooms.

And the minute Loki entered his, it all came rushing in.

Reality.

As he subconsciously moved about, washing up, placing clothes in the closet and changing out of the armor, his mind worked tirelessly, taking in fact over fact.

It wasn't just a matter of going back, it was a matter of what he'd lost along the way.

Too much.

He'd lost too much.

Time.

The respect of his supposed family, turned to ash.

His mother…

No. Not his mother. Not his real mother. She wasn't.

Lies.

All lies.

His whole life. His birthright.

Lies.

Who was he then?

Odinson? Laufeyson?

No one.

He was no one.

Even the God of Mischief,

he was not.

Stranded amongst a world not his own.

And what world was he from?

XXXXX

*Crash!*

Snow jolts up at the sound of glass breaking. Realization hits her hard.

She knew this would happen.

Rushing out of the room, Snow hurries to Loki's. She swings the door open, to find the room in dismay. He snaps to her, a raging fire in his eyes, igniting her sense of caution extremely.

"Get.

Out,"

he spits, threat spilling from every word.  
"…Loki, just-"  
"OOOUUUUT!" He hurtles a vase at the wall beside her to scare her off. She shakes off her shock, and stands her ground firmly.  
"No!"  
 _"Miss, White, shall I initiate emergency protocol?"_ Jarvis asks in haste.  
"No! Don't!" she shouts in panic. The last thing she wanted to do was provoke him.

Loki chuckles harshly. "You are…utterly foolish," he says, approaching her with heavy steps, causing her to take her own steps back, till her back hit the wall. "You see me as some lost, broken soul. But you refuse to acknowledge the truth…staring you right in the face," he speaks each word with such intensity, such harshness,

it hurt,

but she'd be damned to ignore the look in his eyes.

Utter desperation.

"Open your eyes, Snow. This, is what I truly am…

a monster."

Snow witnesses with wide eyes as he transforms against her,

to his true,

darker form.

Ocean-blue shades succumbed his face, spreading lines, and circular engravings.

His eyes…

from gorgeous-green to

a fierce-red.

A moment of silence passes between them. Her teary eyes darting all around his new self, till they halted at his eyes.

A dagger stabbed at Loki's heart.

Was he happy now?

This was what he wanted, right? To scare her.

Well, now he's done it.

What was he hoping to achieve? What form of truth did he think would satisfy?

But he misread.

She wasn't scared.

All she felt, was her own heart drowning in sorrow,

for him.

Shocked, he was, would be an understatement, when her finger-tips brushed the side of his face, rising to caress his cheek, causing him to exhale as if in pain as her touch forced back the darkness, and he transformed back.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, and spoke. "You are **not** a monster," she told firmly. He eyed her in disbelief.

After everything she'd seen,

everything he'd done,

how could she say that?

"You only believe you are…But you're forgetting that I'm the **only** person…who knows how you truly feel…Maybe I should, but I **don't** …give a **damn** , what you'd done,

nor who you were…

all I care about…

is now."

Every word forces its way into his stone-turned heart, every word hurt badly, in a strange form of relief,

of need.

Denial.

He couldn't find it in him to believe her. To believe she was even real.

But she was.

She was,

and she was right there.

He wasn't entirely aware what came over him as his stubborn heart took lead.

Loki crashed his lips onto hers with such force, taking her breath away.

At first, she was shocked. But when she realized what was happening, she couldn't resist. And it was when a deep flame in her chest arose did she discover just how badly she'd been waiting for that moment, since he'd arrived.

Her hands got hold of his face, cupping it between her warm palms. She kissed him just as forcefully, and just as passionately.

Satisfied with her reaction, Loki placed a firm hand on the small of her back, pulling her as close as possible, and another behind her head, his slim fingers toying with her soft, brown locks.

Even though it seemed unreal, neither dared let the moment slip away.

They tore lustfully at each other's lips. The kiss grew deeper, rougher, till it seemed they would never stop.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, entwining her fingers in his hair as he kneeled down and held her tighter, aiming to get all he could out of the White opposite him, and she didn't dare oppose him.

It was only when Jarvis claimed that Tony was home, did they pull apart, gasping for air, minds ablaze, and hearts at race.

Slowly, they pulled apart. And wordlessly, Snow opened the door, and slipped out, locking wild eyes with his once more, before shutting the door behind her.

But her legs couldn't carry her further. She rested her back on the door, leaning her head back as well, as she struggled to control her staggered breath, or collect her scattered thoughts.

And just on the other side, he stood, hand and head on the door's form, wondering what in the world he'd just done,

and why he hadn't done it sooner.

XXXXX

Rushing to her room, Snow closes the door behind her, requesting Jarvis not to say anything about what had happened to Tony, unless he asks.

She understood that the AI was unwillingly loyal to its creator, but confusing machines always seemed to work in movies, so she tried and hoped for the best.

Funny, cause, confused, she was.

What was she thinking?!

Well,

she wasn't.

In that moment, no thought in the world, it seemed, would work to prove that what had happened never should have, blinding her to all risks, and all she could think about,

was the kiss,

in its every detail, especially the fact that he'd started it.

It took her three hours of just lying on the bed, to actually get any sleep.

He however, found it as impossible as it usually was. Kept up by the wander of why.

But no.

Everything.

Literally everything

in his life right now, made no sense, whatsoever.

Nothing seemed as it should be. Nothing was clear.

But, her?

She was the only thing that seemed to fit.

After hours of brooding, Loki walked willingly out of his room for the first time in the past days. He makes his way to her room, as if scouring for proof.

Almost silently he opened the door, creeping in.

Loki makes his way to her bed, where she lay soundly asleep. He kneels down beside her, his eyes taking in every detail of her glowing face as if for the first time.

And with every lingering second, his heartbeats quicken,

and he knew,

it was just right.

Whatever it was he was feeling, whatever it was he knew she was feeling.

It was right.

And that was all he needed to know, to find the strength, to pull back up, feeling something he hadn't felt in months.

Hope.

Loki gets to his feet once more, and strolls out, softly shutting the door behind him. His eyes dart around as if noting his surroundings just then, and a familiar trait kicks in.

Curiosity.

XXXXX

The next morning, Snow comes out of the shower, with a towel wrapped around her form, hair loose and dripping, back into her room. She gasps in shock, grasping the towel firmly. "Loki! Wha-" she exclaims as he simply sat on the armchair near the window, one leg resting on the other, fingertips touching near his smirking face, fully dressed in one of the outfits they'd picked out the other day.

Her eyes dart to the door. "How did you get in?! I locked the door!" she says, baffled. The door was still locked.  
"Trade secret, I'm afraid. Did you know," he starts, rising to his feet casually, like she wasn't in a towel or anything, "that Stark stays up all night, in his lab?" he asks curiously. The topic confuses, and surprises her.  
"I…No, I didn't. How exactly-"  
"I may have wandered about last night. Couldn't sleep," he shrugs. Such a revelation was quite a step, she thought. She processes his words, nodding slowly with wide-eyes.

Something was different.

He…

was different.

"Right," she chuckles, eyeing the floor, getting a pretty good idea as to why that was. He eyes her intently, a mere two feet away. "Loki…last night," she starts, noting they **had** to discuss it. He gets it, but cuts her off.  
"Do you regret it?" he asks seriously. Her eyes lock with his, and she wasn't sure what she could see in them, but it made her heart go crazy. Her answer seemed almost automatic, but she meant it.  
"No," she said firmly. Loki smiles brightly at that. Even though he already knew her answer, hearing it was different, more appealing.  
"Then there's nothing to discuss," he tells.

Snow can't help but smile upon hearing that. A few seconds pass, their eyes locked as if in a daze, a soft, excited smile held by each.

Her awareness returns, and cheeks redden. "Loki…I…kinda have to change," she notes awkwardly. He cocks a mischievous eyebrow.  
"Are you implying I stay for the show?" he asks coyly. Her eyes go as wide as windows, face flushing red.  
"Loki!" she punches his arm out of irritancy, grinning in embarrassment. He seems unfazed, and amused by her attempts as he was amused by her reaction. "Out!"  
"Very well," he retorts calmly.

Loki strolls to the door. He opens it, then halts, turning to give one last long glance at her form, just to tease her. He then leaves her, with her mad heart, and the room, behind.

XXXXX

Tony's alarm blares harshly. On his bed, he furrows his eyebrows irritably, blindly reaching to shut it up, only to end up shoving it off the bedside table. He groans into his pillow, then decides to suck it up.

He pushes up with both arms, unsteadily getting to his feet. Tony washes up tiredly and puts on some fresh clothing, readying for work, or any form of distraction.

The Stark makes his way to the kitchen, to find an odd figure rummaging through the fridge.

The figure, soon found to be Loki, comes out with an orange-juice box, furrowing his eyebrows at it. "Did you know," he starts, not even glancing at Tony, "that your supposed healthy beverage is laced with a considerable amount of ill-fitting elements?" he notes, reading through its contents.

"Wha…um…yeah. I know," he says weirdly, not sure how to react as he walked over to him, running on a very low battery. Loki then looks to him, furrowing his eyebrows.  
"Then why do you have this nonsense?" he scolds, throwing it back into the fridge. Tony's mind scours lazily for an answer.  
"…Because it's easier than squeezing fresh orange-what…uh…what are you doing out here? I mean, huh," he gives a light, tired chuckle, placing one hand into his suit-pocket. "Finally decided to come out of your shell?" he grins.  
"Maybe I'm making space to bury you in it," Loki retorts coyly, making Tony flat out laugh.  
"Good one," he tells, hurriedly heading to get his morning cup before he passed out on the kitchen floor. "Ever had coffee before?" he asks instead.  
"No. What is it?"  
"Well, it's like fuel, but for people," Tony smirks. Loki furrows his eyebrows. Tony hesitates for a second. "It…helps keep you awake," he explains quickly.

Loki smirks knowingly, but Tony doesn't see it as he fills two, handing him one. Loki senses its strong aroma, grimacing a little. Tony takes a big gulp from his, knowing well it wouldn't do much. Loki eyes it doubtfully. "So what's the catch?" he asks.

Tony turns to him, confused. His mind then clicks, somewhat waking up. "Uhhh its not particularly healthy," he states.

Loki looks to the cup in his hand. What's the worst it could do? He drinks it carefully, ignoring the smell, and cringing the minute it activated his taste buds.

Tony chuckles at his reaction. "It's an acquired taste," he states, amused. Loki eyes him irritably, then their attention is driven to Snow, who'd just entered the floor, smiling graciously at them.

Almost immediately, Loki lights up, but Tony doesn't notice. "Morning!" Tony greets.  
"Morning," she smiles back. Snow approaches them, furrowing her eyebrows at the mug in Loki's hand. She turns to Tony.  
"Did you give him coffee?" she questions, slightly shocked. Tony grins.  
"Yeah."

She then turns to Loki, not ever expecting how good it would feel to see those two getting along.

"How is it?" she asks, uncertain what else to say. Loki hums thoughtfully.  
"As disgusting as everything else in the ice-box," he notes, placing the mug onto the counter.  
"Ice-box?" Tony grins. Loki turns to him.  
"Do you find my lack of Midgardian knowledge amusing? I'd like to see how you'd fair in Asgard, or any other realm for that matter," he notes sarcastically. Snow smirks. Tony fakes a wince.  
"Touchy!" he exclaims.

His phone then buzzes in his pocket. He suppresses an eye-roll, pulling it out. Happy.

He hadn't even had his second cup of coffee and the day was already reeling in. "Yeah?" he answers, faking interest, heading off and leaving the two of them with only each other's company.

She finds it unnerving to lock eyes with his after everything that had happened between them. Fortunately, that ends quickly. "I'll be in the library if anyone needs me," he states.  
"Oh, Uh, do you know where it is?" He smirks.  
"Of course I do." She smiles.  
"Okay, mister know-it-all. Keep in mind that we're having breakfast later, whether you're hungry or not," she tells. He finds her confidence appealing.  
"Whatever you say," Loki last states, finally walking away.

She turns her attention to Tony, who was rubbing his eyes tiredly as he spoke through the phone. She then turned to Loki's steaming cup of coffee on the counter. He'd barely touched, and she would make some for herself anyways, so she simply took his.

Tony hangs up the call, making his way back to her, furrowing his eyebrows. "Where'd he go?" he asks.  
"Library," she smiles unwillingly. Tony stood, leaning on the counter across her with his elbows.  
"Okay, spill. What the hell happened last night?" he questions suddenly. Her heartbeat rises nervously. She attempts denial.  
"What…um, what do you mean?" she retorts. He cocks an eyebrow.  
"Seriously? Don't tell me he's all rainbows and sunshine today because we went shopping for underpants….What. Happened?"

Snow hesitates, then sighs tiredly. No point in hiding it.

"…We kissed…" she lets out, awfully aware of the Stark's reaction to that.  
"…Wha… **again**?!"  
"…Yes."  
"Wha!...Snow! What the hell are you doing?! Okay, look. I'm all in for the 'victim, let's help him' thing, but don't you think you're 'helping' a little too much?" he scolds worriedly.

He was more concerned about the whole thing than jealous. She sighs again.

"Tony, it's really not that big a deal."  
"Not that big a deal?!"  
"Yes!...Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do. And so do you," she tells, cradling the cup and heading to walk off, wanting the subject closed.  
"Snow," he calls. She turns. "…Just be careful." She considers his words.  
"I will."

XXXXXXXXXX


	16. 15: Visit

A week passes. Things were relatively well. The three were getting along better than they'd hoped they would. And when not in each other's company, each had their own thing to do.

Tony would be in the lab, working on prototypes for new suits. Loki would be in the library, reading through dozens of books. And Snow would be in her room, mostly working, or just relaxing.

But what about their relationships? How did that change?

Things between Snow and Tony were as before, mutual, friendly respect, with a growing friendship. Things between Tony and Loki were ever changing, from fun, to insulting, to interesting, and certainly amusing for Snow to witness.

And finally, things between Snow and Loki seemed to slowly blossom, but hadn't changed much. The heat of their last kiss was fading, and they were back to two people who didn't know each other that well, but wanted to.

The waters were steady, and Loki couldn't help but wonder every day, if anything would change, if something would happen to point him to a certain future.

What was there, waiting for him?

He didn't know, and he hated not knowing.

But he best not make haste. Amends needed to be made. The present had to settle, for the future to set foot.

A knock sounds on Loki's door. He doesn't reply, as usual. Snow opens the door, walking in, a soft smile held in place.

But something was wrong, he could tell.

"Hey," she calls, uncertain how to start. He flips through the pages of the book in his hand calmly, seated on the armchair next to the window.

Snow made her way to his bed and sat on the edge, trying her best to remain a steady posture. Loki's eyes linger to see her staring at her lap, lips pursed.

Now he had to know.

He closes the book, settling it on the table beside him. Loki straightens and turns to her. "What's on your mind, love?" he pushes. He'd been calling her 'love' and 'darling' quite frequently. She didn't mind it.

"Well…There's…something you should know," she starts uncertainly. He cocks an eyebrow. "Thor's coming to visit…today."

It takes a moment for her words to sink in. His brows furrow as if in disappointment, quickly turning to annoyance. He clenches his jaw. Snow was expecting his reaction.

"Why?" he asks. She didn't know how to reply to that.  
"…Beeecause he's your brother-"  
"He's **not** my brother," he states firmly. Loki avoids her eyes, clenching his fist, as if trying to compose his burning rage, which wasn't entirely directed on Thor, just the fact.

A moment of silence passes, Snow mulling over what to say. She speaks. "Blood does not define a family, Loki," she tries.  
"It defines everything, Snow. Who you are, where you belong. Who you'll be…

I'm not one of them,"

he shakes his head, and she could see the sorrow held so tightly behind his eyes, just before it was replaced once more by anger as he rose to his feet. "I was never one of them." She rose as well.  
"That doesn't mean they don't care about you. Loki, you spent your whole life with these people, I know you don't hate them. Don't push them away."

Loki exhales tiredly, avoiding her gaze. He didn't want to listen. She wasn't right.

She crosses her arms. "Are you angry cause they kept the truth from you…or because you found out…you really **weren't** one of them?" she asks, wanting him to face the truth.

He refuses to give in. She tries a different approach. Snow inhales deeply, looking to the floor. "You know, when I was a kid, my parents… **died** ," she says the last word reluctantly. Loki does not meet her eyes, but she knows he's listening, and he picked up her curious hesitance. "A man named William, found out what I was capable." Snow fixes her gaze on Loki before her. "He could have walked away, he could have called me out, but instead, he took me in. Protected me…loved me as his own," she was unable to hold back her tears as she spoke, but her voice remained firm as she wiped at them. Alas, Loki looks to her. She locks eyes with his confidently. "I **became** his family, and he became mine."

Loki thinks her words over. He could feel himself leaning away from the rage, and to consideration. And it was briefly frustrating. He did not appreciate when his beliefs were questioned by anyone.

But she wasn't anyone. She was the girl he owed most.

She takes a step towards him, looking deeply into his eyes. "All I'm asking, is that you give him a chance…please," she says softly, toying with his heart strings. He knew what she was trying to do, charm him into agreeing,

but so what?

He owed her that much.

Loki exhales tiredly. "…Very well," he lets out. Snow smiles brightly, then chuckles nervously.  
"Good, cause…he's kind of…already here." Loki's eyes widen at her. "Yeah…kind of unexpected, but…I didn't want you going in unprepared," she tells honestly, causing his gaze to soften. He sighs.  
"Let's get it over with then."

XXXXX

"Oh! Yes. He's been…great!" Tony smiles nervously at the queen of Asgard. Thor stands by her side, perfectly content.  
"Really?...So he's…happy?" Frigg asks hopefully. Tony can see in her eyes, she wanted so badly for him to say 'yes'. But she was Loki's mother, she deserved the truth.  
"He's…coming around," he tells. That was seemingly enough for her.

Speaking of his mother. Loki and Snow had no idea she was here. Tony thought he should warn him, honestly worried how he'd react if not warned.

"I'm gonna go see what's taking him so long," he tells.

Tony uses the elevator. It opens on their floor, where Snow and Loki were right outside, waiting to use it. Tony hurries to them frantically. "Dude, your mom's here," he tells. The two opposite him are shocked.

Loki is unable to comprehend the situation, feeling panic rise in his chest. Snow's eyes immediately dart to him. "Hey," she calls, placing a comforting hand on his forearm. He turns to her. "You can do this," she told firmly.

Tony's eyes them worriedly. He too was feeling the fog of tension in the air. They'd made such progress. And him and Loki were just starting to get along. He didn't like putting him in such a situation either.

Once he'd let her words sink in, Loki's features hardened with confidence, enough for him to give a sole nod.

He moved forward, Snow and Tony on either of his sides. They walk into the living room, where Frigg and Thor stood patiently near the furniture. He froze, feeling his heart ache.

How Frigg ever so glowed like an angel, he did not know, but to him, she was, and seemingly always would, no matter how hard he fought against it.

Snow touches his shoulder to grasp his attention. He tilts his head towards her. "We'll be in the kitchen," she states, reaching behind Loki to pull Tony by the sleeve, flashing Thor a quick smile in greet.

They part ways, and Loki feels exposed. The world bodes heavy, his feet seemed weakened.

Still,

he moved, with what little strength he'd gained from his supposed friends.

Frigg smiles sympathetically at him. Seeing him specifically in Midgardian clothing, stung her. She could not feel sorrier for him. She felt herself tearing up at what had become of him, once prince.

But no.

She would compose herself.

At least he was well and alive.

Loki takes scarce steps towards them, and Frigg closes the distance, taking him into her welcoming arms.

Overwhelmed with emotions, Loki froze. Conspiracies rose in his mind, screaming harshly that she wasn't who he'd grown to know, wasn't who he'd grown to call.

She wasn't.

And still, his heart won the battle against his thoughts, for the people it found closest. As if in sudden relief, Loki returned his mother's embrace, shutting his eyes at the shredding pain of missing her so deeply.

Thor stood opposite them, smiling happily at the scene, and Snow and Tony from the kitchen, watching curiously.

"I've missed you, my son," Frigg tells him. And it was as if her words awoke his temporarily fogged mind, and he fell back to doubts, and anger, and disappointment.

Frigg pulls back. "Come," she takes his hand in hers, leading him the couch. He turns his gaze away as Thor sat on a nearby armchair. "How've you been?"

Her question goes unacknowledged, and Snow's earlier words faded.

And as he battled within, a dense moment of silence passed, and Frigg knew, like she'd known for long, after the truth came out, this moment wouldn't dare be easy.

"Why did you come?" he questions.

XXXXX

"What'd you think they're saying?" Tony asks Snow, making himself a cup of coffee.  
"I don't know, but it doesn't look good." Tony shakes his head.

How selfish was Loki, to have parents, and deny their presence, deny their importance, deny their love?

"What's his problem, anyways?" Snow turns from attempting to listen.  
"They lied about his heritage, Tony."  
"So?"  
"So A: They lied about him ever having a chance at the throne, as Thor. B: His real heritage is something his family considers monsters." Tony falls silent, evidently surprised to hear this.  
"Oh," he lets out, taking a long sip from the mug.

Her own words put her back to the moment he'd reveled himself to her, and she thought his family was exaggerating.

XXXXX

Frigg furrows her eyebrows at Loki's question momentarily. Thor was expecting he'd act this way. Frigg then lets out a light chuckle.

"Is a mother not allowed to see her son?" she asks humorously. Thor winces as her words come out, knowing exactly what Loki would say to that.  
"You're not my mother," he lets out firmly, as steady as he tried to sound as his own words punched him, and stabbed a dagger through Frigg's heart.  
"Loki," Thor scolds. Frigg raises a hand to silence him.

She looks intently at Loki's broken form and glass eyes reflecting a thousand wound.

"I need no blood-bonds…to call you my son," she says. Loki pulls away from her gaze, refusing her words. She notes this. Her heart sinks in disappointment.

A mother always expects too much.

"Perhaps one day…you will understand…And find it in you…to forgive me," she tells. Loki shuts his eyes at the burning flame within. "And your father."

At that Loki snaps to her in utter frustration, feeling every nerve break loose. He wanted to yell. To shout. But Frigg gave him no such choice as she rose to her feet, readying to leave. Thor rises after her, and Loki stays his place on the couch.

At the sudden motion, Snow hurries from the kitchen, Tony close behind. Frigg smiles softly at the sight of her, walking to her. "Snow. A word, if I may?" she requests.  
"Of course," Snow nods seriously, unwilling sparing Loki a glance, who was eyeing her intently.

Snow and Frigg walked off. Tony approached Thor and Loki. "So," he starts, "this is nice," he says sarcastically. Thor ignores him, and Loki is elsewhere. "You know what would fix this? You two should hug it out," he grins. At that, Loki and Thor turn to him irritably, two very dangerous glares from two very dangerous people. "Or not. It's cool," he brushes off with ease.

XXXXX

"I wanted to thank you," Frigg said, stood in the kitchen with Snow.  
"For what?" Snow asks.  
"Everything, my dear. You didn't have to, but you stood for my son…you saved him."

Snow, turns to the ground, smiling dismissively. Frigg eyes her adoringly. "You're helping him still. He may not forgive me yet," she pauses momentarily. Snow eyes her sympathetically. "But, my coming her showed me something I needed to see, he's recovering. He's safe. That is something I can never thank you for enough."  
"And you don't have to," Snow smiles in assurance. Frigg chuckles, placing a light hand on Snow's cheek.  
"Such a sweet girl," she said, removing her hand, weaving silly thoughts of setting her up with her son.

XXXXX

Thor and Frigg take their leave, and the minute their out of sight, Loki hurries to his bedroom, needing to be alone. Snow and Tony share a concerned glance.

"I'll talk to him," Snow says, following after him.

Loki stood inside, facing the window with darkening skies above, as if reflecting his soul.

It was treacherous, how badly it hurt, having to face them, to face her, to face the truth time and again.

To face them leaving **without** him,

knowing he could never follow, could never reclaim who he was.

And who was he now?

"Hey." He turns at the voice. Snow's leaning on his closet by the side, arms crossed, bearing a soft smile. "You okay?" she asks in concern. Loki nods dismissively, turning back to the window.

She steps to him, standing beside him. "Do you wanna talk about it?"  
"…No," Loki shakes his head, refusing to make eye contact.

Snow eyes him sympathetically. She felt this untamable urge to comfort him, to make him open up to her, and she barely comprehended her own reasoning.

But she didn't want to push.

"Well, if you change your mind...I'm here for you," she tells softly. Loki eyes her with the corner of his eye, pained by her words, as if it hurt to think she was being serious. That she meant it.

But she did.

Snow turns to leave, halting when his voice called her name. "Snow."

He's turned to her, eyes fixated on the floor, fists clenched by his sides, the moon's light shimmering in his tightly held back tears.

Even though they weren't touching, her heart picked up on all he felt.

As if on instinct, Snow walked to him, taking his face into her hands, and his conflicted eyes locked with hers, skin numbing at her touch.

She pulled him into her arms, and he did not resist. It only took a few seconds for his body to react, embracing her tightly. And all the same, trying stubbornly not to fall apart.

But, slowly, he felt relief seep through, just by being near her.

When she'd felt his arms wrap around her, she couldn't help her racing heart, couldn't even begin to comprehend how he made her feel.

She let his pain flow through her. It was crushing,

but not unfamiliar.

Maybe that was why. Maybe, in some way, she saw herself in him, a reflection of an un-survivable time in her life.

This helplessness.

And she was determined

to free him from it.

But he had to open up.

Snow pulled back, resting her hands on his shoulders as his laid on her waist. She smiles. "Come. I have something to show you," she says.

Loki follows without questions. She leads him to the kitchen/living room floor, pointing to a glass door that led to the terrace. "Wait for me in there."

Loki enters the balcony, the cold air washing over him like a welcoming blanket. Ironic that he now knew why.

Snow enters minutes later, two steaming mugs in her hands. She approaches him by the rail and hands him one.

"Hot chocolate. You'll love it," she smiles. Loki takes it from her and simply holds it, not really in the mood. At least the air was somewhat relaxing, and the fact that she was there with him was somehow reassuring.

They stood in silence for a few moments, a foot away from one another, shoulders almost touching.

"When…When was the last time you saw her, your mom?" Snow asks carefully. Loki turns to her slightly un-expectantly. He inhales, looking away.  
"A long time ago. Before this all…started," he sighs, eyeing the skies yearningly. She observes him intently.  
"And how did it feel, seeing her after all this time?"

Loki cocks an eyebrow at her, chuckling upon acknowledging what she was doing, causing her to unwillingly smirk.

"Seriously?" he asks. _'Busted'_ she thinks. She chuckles as well, pumping his shoulder with hers.  
"Come on!...Talk to me," she requests. He sighs tiredly, contemplating it.

Loki wasn't used to talking about his feelings, if anything, he despised sentiment. But everything was ablur these days, and all he could feel, was a need to give in,

to let it all out,

as if he'd explode if he chose to hold it in forever.

And Snow…

She was…

He trusted her, that's all there was to say.

It takes him a moment, but he eventually, reluctantly, speaks his mind. "…Guilt," he half-whispers, furrowing his eyebrows at the bitter word, studying the contents of the full mug in his palms with little interest.

However, upon hearing this, Snow smiles as if proudly at him. "Believe it or not, that's a good thing," she says. He turns to her in denial. "I mean, let's face it Loki, you're more angry at the truth than you are at them for keeping it from you."

Loki turns away once more. Despite not wanting to, he listened still, to her every word.

"You're directing that anger at her, but deep down, you know you shouldn't. You know she loves you…yet you can't bring yourself to forgive what she'd done. That's why you feel guilty," Snow says.

Every word sinks into him, no matter how badly his heart fought the pain that the truth inflected.

"But you have every right to be angry…And I can't promise that that'll ever go away…but, if there's one thing life's taught me, it's that time **will** make it easier," she says, a distant look in her eyes that he far from missed.

She noticed him looking, and cleared her throat, quickly turning away. She feels panic rise within her, threatening to consume her, and she was afraid of getting caught.

Snow flashes Loki an awkward smile, scratching her scalp as if casually. "I'm, uh, gonna go inside…get some sleep, but…think about what I said," she tells the last part seriously, touching his shoulder for emphasize before turning away once more and leaving somewhat hurriedly, sighing in relief the minute she'd reentered the building.

She wasn't.

She wasn't ready to tell him.

She wasn't ready to say it again.

She knew he'd crack her, and she couldn't afford it, neither could she afford refusing to share, after all, she was making **him** talk. It wouldn't be fair.

But she wasn't ready.

Loki stares after her in confusion, his mind working ethically to place an explanation to the sudden flip in her mood.

And only one puzzle piece fit.

XXXXX

 _"_ _Five hundred and twenty-three per hour, sir,"_ Jarvis tells Tony, who was looking at the screen, ironically watching someone a few kilo meters out the city fighting Chitauri and wearing a suit quite similar to his.

A few days back, Tony had received a call from Fury himself. He sent him a file of security footage showing someone, a girl, fully armored in a suit that looked like one of his own.

At first, Fury thought the Stark was stupid enough to lend a girlfriend one of the deadliest weapons on the planet, but Tony assured him it wasn't his.

Apparently, she had been present the day the wormhole tore through, and had discreetly participated in the fight. Afterwards, she disappeared.

For his own reasons, and knowing that he wouldn't refuse, Fury put Tony in charge of figuring out who the hell that was, and where they got the suit.

It sure as hell wasn't one of his, just similarly designed, which posed both a puzzle and a threat to Tony. If the government found out that the science behind his builds had been cracked, the chaos such a thing could havoc.

He'd be called back to court, confiscated of his stuff. Too much bad.

And despite all that bad, Tony couldn't stop himself from being rather intrigued by the design, and its maker.

"Not fast, I guess. Still, not bad." Tony notes to himself. He watches her, who was hiding behind an iron-made mask, as her suit, or rather, suit parts were. She hadn't fully covered the joints. The weak spots.

And though Tony thought that a disadvantage, it allowed her better movement. She was quick, well-trained. Her suit was black, purple lights here and there. It could shoot blast-forces, just like his. Her eyes area was lit up, which meant she'd probably concocted some kind of targeting system.

Tony watched her round house the last of six Chitauri, placing her hand on her knees and kneeling, as if catching her breath, and he couldn't help smiling.

Then he noticed.

She took her mask off, just then.

He couldn't see it from this angle, this camera. But he was certain there was another one there. Much was damaged during the war. If the camera was there, just damaged, he could fix it, and crack the case.

"Stark," Loki calls from behind him, entering the lab. Tony turns to him, as if he'd been caught. He shuts the screen off and turns to Loki.  
"Yeah," he replies dismissively, slightly panicking by the fact that the mischievous, still boded dangerous, God of Mischief was in his high-tech, weapon-loaded lab.

Loki smirks. "What were you doing?"  
"Uhhh none of your business," Tony states. Loki stops a few feet from the Stark, crossing his arms at him, smirking still. "Something I can help you with, Snape?"  
"As a matter of fact, there is…" Loki replies. He then frowns. "Where are your parents?"

Tony is baffled by the question, his face falls and heart clenched painfully at the topic. Tony cleared his throat in an attempt to calm himself. "Why?" he asks curiously, failing to mask the sadness in his eyes.

A look of realization falls upon Loki. "They're dead," he notes as a matter of fact. Tony's face falls grim, conferring his guess. Was it a mortal thing? Adults with dead parents?  
"Dude, you seriously better have a point," Tony tells in a threatening tone.  
"…What happened to Snow's parents?"

Tony's face clears. Of course this was about Snow. He feels his heart clench at the memory of what he'd read. It wasn't a pretty story. And he avoided bringing it up in front of her, **ever**. And he sure as hell didn't want Loki doing otherwise.

He pinches the bridge of his nose tiredly, collecting his thoughts. "Uhhh," Tony falls into the wheeled chair near his desk. Loki takes the one opposite him. "I'm only gonna tell you because I don't want you bringing this up in front of her…and because I know you care about her," Tony states reluctantly.

The last statement pricked Loki's chest.

He wasn't good at caring. Not even a little bit. But…

he **did** care about her, and he was worried he wouldn't do it right.

Loki's face falls serious, now dying to know. Why was the Stark being so secretive about it?

Tony leans forward, speaking seriously as he rarely ever does. "Few years back, a freak accident happened where Snow used to live. A quarter of the town's inhabitants, including Snow's parents, disappeared…she was the only survivor." Loki listens intently to every word, now fairly concerned. "But…they…didn't just disappear…

they turned to dust…"

The word hit Loki like a brick. His brows furrow, and mouth agapes. He falls back into his chair.

It couldn't be…

"She-"  
"Yeah," Tony cuts off, grimacing. Loki is baffled still.  
"…How?"  
"It was when she'd first gotten her powers. She was twelve. I don't think she knew what she was doing…and I never asked," he says sorrowfully. "Neither should you." Loki eyes him absently, too caught up with the information he'd just been shoved.

The topic proved heavy on both their chests.

A moment of silence passes as Loki tries to make sense of things. "How did she get her powers?" he asks. Tony shakes his head.  
"I have no idea, and neither does she. After I…found out what happened, I never exactly asked, and I don't intend to."  
"Does she know?"  
"If she does, then that makes her the strongest person I've ever met cause…if it was me, I don't know how I'd ever get past something like that."

Loki takes this into consideration, as if seeing Snow for the first time. He couldn't help feeling sorry for her,

and more so,

he couldn't help feeling closer to her than ever before.

Tony watches Loki rise to his feet, washing a hand through his hair. He takes his leave, and Tony sighs as if in relief for sharing this with someone other than himself.

Loki's mind ran restlessly, putting together piece by piece, attempting to comprehend where the White was coming from, how she was who she was today, and he wasn't referring to her abilities.

How **did** she get past it?

But then it became clear.

She never did.

Inside, she was broken,

just like him.

He felt a sudden need to protect her, and he wasn't even sure from what.

It had never occurred to him that she was hurting, that she was carrying around this weigh of grief. Knowing this now, he refused her pain, he despised it. And it was like it wasn't fair, for someone like her.

Someone like her.

Loki felt his heart grow restless as well, a feeling he couldn't quite comprehend,

a feeling for her.

Hours through the night, he'd found himself in her room, watching her sleep, and hoping he wouldn't make a habit of it.

But it was like he needed answers. Answers for why he was feeling whatever it was that set his heart ablaze when his eyes would fall upon her.

But the answer seemed too stubborn to present itself so hastily.

XXXXXXXXXX


	17. 16: Boys Night In

The next morning after washing up and checking her inbox, Snow made her way to the gym on one of the tower's many floors.

Upon entering, she smirks. Of course Tony would spare no expense. There was literally everything, there was even a ring in the middle of the room. However, only one piece of equipment caught her attention. A strike-dummy.

Back when she lived with William, he'd bought one just for her, to help her reflex and self-control.

She spent up to an hour, punching, kicking, dodging, and she was barely out of breath. Satisfied with her warm-up, Snow sat on one of the dummy's extended legs, taking a big swig of water.

Tony went to work early, and Loki wandered the halls out of boredom. Eventually, he found her. He smirks at her form. "Well, that's one way to win a fight," he says, causing her to look up. She smiles, getting to her feet as he strolled towards her.  
"It's not exactly a fair one," she retorts.  
"There's no point engaging in one-sided conflict," he states.  
"Well, unless your volunteering, the dummy's the only opponent I can torture," she smirks, cocking a suggestive eyebrow. Loki chuckles at her offer.  
"I don't think so."  
"Afraid I'll beat you?" She grins teasingly.  
"Darling, I find it adorable that you would even assume so."  
"Then prove me wrong," she says.

There was this heated tension between them, and not the bad kind. Loki's eyes linger longer than Snow is capable of holding back a nervous, excited blush.

"Well, after you," he tilts his head towards the ring. Snow grins in excitement.

They enter, rounding one another. Loki smirks, motioning for her to come at him. She doesn't disappoint.

Snow charged at him, aiming a fist at his face. He evades it, and the second blow with ease. She twirls, attempts to elbow him. He snatches her arm, and wraps around her waist with his other tightly, pulling her into him whilst still in hold of her arm.

Snow laughs out. "This isn't how a fight goes," she draws.  
"If you assume I'm holding a dagger, it is," he retorts, causing her to think back to a different time, where each stood exactly in the same position. She remembered the dagger still lying in her drawer, closest to where she could keep it.

Slowly, Loki ran his hand over her abdomen, snapping her out of all thought as his touch evaded her senses, causing her eyes to shut and head to fall back onto his shoulder. He merely brushed his lips against her exposed neck before they were rudely interrupted.

"Don't you two look cozy?" Tony grins, entering the room. Loki rolls his eyes irritably. The two pull away, Snow struggling to control her heartbeats as she headed for her water bottle as a way of hiding.

"Aren't you supposed to have left?" Loki asks, leaning on one of the ring's higher ropes.  
"Hoho, you wish," Tony draws in amusement, hands in his pockets.  
"Tony," Snow smirks in warning, causing him to chuckle. He then gets to the point.  
"Okay, so I'm taking the rest of the day off, and we're going out," he states.  
"And you just assume we're **all** taking a day off?" she asks expectantly. Loki smirks at her. Tony grins.  
"Certainly didn't seem like you had plans," he says. Snow smirks nervously, scratching the back of her neck.  
"Where are we going?" Loki asks.  
"Well, I'm starving, sooo, wherever there's food," he smiles. "One hour. No detours," he says the last one pointedly.

The three separate to get dressed. You'd think Loki would have put up more of a fight, but he hadn't been out in a while, and he was in a good mood.

They head to the garage. Tony insists Loki sits at the front this time. Snow encourages it, and Loki reluctantly indulges them. He quickly regrets it however.

"Are you **trying** to get us killed?!" he glares at a speeding Stark in shock.  
"Relax, **mom**. I know what I'm doing," Tony grins. Loki rolls his eyes as Snow lets out a laugh.  
"You'll get used to it," she says from behind.  
"Before or **after** he kills me?" Loki asks in sarcasm, causing them both to laugh.  
"Sooo, what are we eating?" Tony pushes.  
"Well, I've been craving pizza," Snow smirks.  
"Ooh. Good choice. Plus, Loki's never tried it," Tony grins his way. Loki sighs.  
"What is it?" he asks.  
"Well, it's too complicated to explain. You'll see when we get there," Tony replies.  
"That's assuring," he notes in sarcasm.  
"Not with that attitude, sour bread. Do ever get tired of being sarcastic?" Tony asks.  
"Do you ever get tired of being you?" Loki retorts, smirking.  
"Play nice, boys," Snow smiles.  
"Yes, mom," Tony grins.

Tony then pulled over next to the nearest pizza place. They fan out and head inside. Loki eyes the building with little interest, and grimaces once inside. These people really lacked class.

Loki then cringes in disgust when a small, chubby boy, licking down an ice-cream cone, his shirt smudged in melted drops, stared at him as his mother led him out. Loki stares back. Once the boy is out of sight he shakes his head, cursing his new life on earth.

Tony leads them to a booth. The waiter hands them menus, then takes their orders, having Snow and Tony decide for Loki.

A few minutes later, Happy calls Tony, something about the office. They just talk, and the problem is semi-resolved. When he hung up, Loki turned to him. "His name is **Happy**?" he asks weirdly, causing Snow to chuckle and Tony to smirk.  
"Well, yeah," he retorts.  
"And, pray tell, what does Happy do?"  
"He's my bodyguard."  
"Bodyguard?"  
"Yeah. Like a person who protects yo-"  
"I know what a bodyguard is."  
"Well, I'm sorry. I can't guess what you do and don't know."  
"Why do you need a bodyguard? Aren't you the all-mighty metal-man?"  
"Iron Man. And when I'm not, I'm just Tony Stark, who goes to a lot of conferences and parties, where people are just dying to take a picture, and he keeps them at bay."  
"He's also there in case Tony's in danger," Snow offers.  
"What kind of danger?" Loki asks.  
"Well, not a lot of people are fans of the great Tony Stark," she replies. Tony cocks an eyebrow at her. "Sometimes someone might try to pull something, and Happy's there to insure that that doesn't happen."  
"I'm sure you understand, what with being a former prince; you probably had dozens of guards on you most of the time. Right?" Tony asks. Loki pauses in annoyance at his past, and Snow internally winces.  
"Prince, Stark. Not princess. So no. Besides, I wasn't much for the crowd anyways," Loki replies.  
"How so?" Tony asked. Snow already knew why.

She knew Loki.

Loki debated opening up to the Stark. But honestly, nothing seemed too difficult to accomplish these days. What would he have to lose?

"Because they're stupid," he says nonchalantly.  
" **All** of them?" Tony smirks.  
"Used their arms more than their heads. It was undermining."  
"Oh. So, I'm guessing their impression of you, he who locks himself in a tower full of books, wasn't very bright," Tony states. Loki glares at him irritably, so does Snow. "I mean; I can totally relate. It's hard to find someone with a good piece of mind in these brute days," he says, causing Loki's gaze to soften, and Snow to smile.

Up until then, Loki hadn't realized that there was anything actually in common between him and the irritating, sarcastic Stark. It was strangely comforting.

The waiter then comes back with their order. They spent the rest of their time laughing at how unbelievably disgusted Loki was with the way it looked. And after a full five minutes, they convinced him to shut up and eat. But he'd put up such a big fight, he refused to show that he actually liked it, even though they already knew.

XXXXX

Three days later, things were moving smoothly. But Snow had soon informed the boys that she would be flying back to Charleston for the day. An important meeting was taking place, and she had to be there. Which also meant she'd be leaving Tony and Loki alone, something she was very wary of doing. But with a little reassuring from the Stark, and a placid reaction from Loki, who was internally reluctant about her leaving, but didn't terribly mind the Stark, she was on her way, to arrive at the night of the same day.

She left early, at ten am. From then to at least four pm, Tony and Loki had spent the day separately. It was only when sounds like a giant saw being used against metal, then a hammer banging down, did Loki storm out of the library and to the lab in extreme annoyance.

"What in the **world** are you doing?!" he asks the Stark, who was wearing a pair of protective goggles, standing behind a huge, saw-like mechanism, cutting through something. Tony shuts it down.  
"Sorry!" he yells, taking the goggles off. He takes the piece of equipment, hefting it up and onto another table.  
"What are you doing?" Loki asks, approaching him semi-curiously-semi-irritably.  
"Working on a new suit," he replies.  
"Another one?" Loki inquiries, pointing a look at all the other suits placed behind glass all around them. "What is wrong with you?"  
"Well, excuse me for being cautious!"  
"What you're being is paranoid, Stark."  
"Something I can help you with, Loki?" Tony pushes irritably.

Loki ignores him and turns away, waltzing around. He stops by one of the suits and studies it. "Where on earth did you get the idea to build these?" he asks. Tony stops his tweaking, sighing as he decided to take a break, wiping his hands down with a towel. He approaches Loki.  
"Well, let's see. I was in the weapons industry. Got kidnapped by terrorists who wanted me to the build them a nuke," Tony says nonchalantly. Loki widens his eyes at him. "Locked me, and a man named Yinsen, up for a month, assuming we were actually working on it, when really, we were working on a prototype for one of these bad boys," Tony explains as Loki listens intently. "I made it out, he didn't," the Stark utters in a daze. He then snaps back "So where'd you get your powers?" he asks. Loki notes the Stark was not one to talk about feelings. Neither was he. So he played along and answered his question, only to realize what the question was.

Loki looks away. "My…mother, taught me," he reluctantly says. Tony nods thoughtfully, poking at the desk's surface.  
"You know, you don't talk about her much…Seemed pretty dull the day she came," Tony notes carefully, having been dying to give the stubborn Odinson a piece of his mind about that.  
"Yes, well, she shouldn't have come," Loki dismisses. Tony chuckles coldly, crossing his arms at him.  
"Be real for a sec. It would have killed you had she not," Tony stresses.  
"Stark," Loki draws.  
"No. Seriously. I mean, I know it's none of my business, but, just take a minute, and **think** …about what you have," he says. Loki stares at him intently. He crosses his arms as well.  
"And what do I have, pray tell? Hm? I live on a planet, not my own. I'm considered a disappointment in my supposed home, which, turns out, isn't. And I'm here, with no set future, nothing to come that I am aware of. I'm just **here**. So, tell me, Stark, what **do** I have?"

He opened the door, and it all came pouring out, and he fought little against it.

Tony takes in every word, feeling all the more sorry for the person across him. But, ironically, also thought him stupid.

Tony takes a firm step towards him. "A second chance," he replies. It takes Loki a minute to acknowledge what he'd said. "What you have, is a second chance."  
"A chance to do what?"  
"I guess we'll find out," Tony smirks, eyeing him intently before changing the topic too abruptly. "Wait. So, magic can be **taught**?!" Loki rolls his eyes at him, suppressing a smirk.

He felt a huge weigh left off his shoulders. He needed this. He needed to hear it said. Though Tony did little to reassure his concerns about his future, it felt good to be listened to. And it was as though, and just for a second, Loki glimpsed a real friendship to come.

"Mortals are not meant to bear magic, Stark," Loki states.  
"Well, 'bear', and 'be taught' are two different things."  
"No."  
"No: 'they're not', or no: 'you're being a dick and just won't teach me'?" Tony smirks.  
"Call me a dick again, and I'll insure yours doesn't see tomorrow," he threatens, half amused still.  
"That's an empty threat," Tony grins, walking back to a tray full of drinks.

 _"_ _Sir, Facial recognition recognized,"_ Jarvis states.  
"Oh! Finally!" Tony exclaims, rushing to the computers. He'd managed to get that camera working, saw her face alas, and had Jarvis look through who she was. It took a while considering the quality of the camera. "Let's see who you are." A picture comes up (NINA DOBREV). "Gotcha!"  
"Who is she?" Loki asks.  
"She, is my mystery woman," he smirks. Loki cocks an eyebrow at him. Tony explains. "Few days back, Fury send me some footage of, you know, the battle," Tony dismisses, but not before the flash of guilt in Loki's eyes. "Anyways," Tony turns the footage on, showing Loki the fight scene. Loki eyes it intently.  
"One of yours?" Loki asks about the suit.  
"That's the thing. It's not. But it's pretty sophisticated. And, also dangerous. The court gave me grief about my kind of technology falling into the wrong hands. So, Nick insisted I find out who she is, as if it's my fault or something. But, you know, Nick's an ass," Tony states. Loki gives a look that said he agreed. "Okay, let's see," he looks through the file Jarvis pulled out. "Britany Smith. Lives in Malibu, California. Originally from Denver, Colorado. Suspect of several robberies. Hmm," Tony reads through thoroughly.  
"Sooo, do you know where she is?" Loki draws.  
"I'll find out eventually. She can't hide forever," he smiles. Loki smirks at the glint in the Stark's eyes. Tony feels him staring and looks. "What?" he asks.  
"Just thinking how thrilled you'd be to share notes," he gestures.  
"Well, assuming she's the one who built it," Tony retorts.  
"Assuming," Loki smirks again.  
"Okay. Haha. Very funny. But last woman I'd shared in my endeavors, left me cause it was too much," Tony states blankly. Loki eyes him sympathetically for a moment as he walks back to the tray and pours himself a drink.  
"Well, your luck might look up this time," Loki tells, slapping the Stark lightly on the back. Tony chuckles lightly, pouring Loki a drink as well.

The rest of the night flows by smoothly. After whining about magic and refusing to believe it couldn't be taught, the two shared ideas, as well as a few drinks as they talked about the suits and how they could be better.

Their conversations took random turns. They discussed Britany. Tony complained about Pepper. Somehow they ended up making fun of Thor.

Alas, Snow arrived, and joined in on the fun, enthralled that the boys had bonded so well.

XXXXXXXXXX


	18. 17: Familiar

A few days later, Tony states he was to leave for Malibu for 'work'. Loki accused him of going after Britany. Snow asked who Brie was, and Tony reluctantly explained.

But it **really** was for work, not his fault she happened to be there, and he happen to be planning on paying her a visit.

He'd be gone for a week, and told them not to have too much fun without him.

The day after, a show on the tv inspired Snow with a brilliant idea.

She made her way to the library. "Hey," she greets.  
"Hello, love," Loki smiles, causing her to grin like a fifteen-year-old, something he found both amusing and fairly adorable.

She takes a seat across him on the desk. He puts the book down and offers her his full attention.

"Sooo you ride horses, right?" she asks, getting to the point.  
"Mhmm," he replies suspiciously.  
"Good. So whaddya say you and I go horse-back riding. I know a great spot," she says. His smile brightens.  
"Well, I see no reason to decline," he tells.  
"Great! Oh! And, we're going out of town, so you don't have to be in disguise," she says.  
"Mmm, because you prefer the real me," he offers coyly.  
"Well, yes. I mean…" she notes what he's doing and laughs slightly, rising from her seat. "Get dressed, Loki," she tells, heading out the room.

XXXXX

In the car, Snow gets a call from work. Loki turns to her from staring out the window. "What is it you do, exactly?" he asks curiously. It takes her a moment to process the question before answering.  
"Well, I'm head of a real estate company," she says. He furrows his eyebrows. "I sell houses," she explains.  
"And you **lead** this company?" he inquires.  
"Well, yes," she nods.  
"Figured as much," he says.  
"What?" she chuckles.  
"You're a natural-born leader, love," he states as a matter of fact. She stares at him for a moment, baffled.  
"What makes you say that?!"  
"How **did** you convince the council to send me down here?"  
"…I told them what they wanted to hear."  
"And that was?"  
"Well, they…wanted to punish you. I sugarcoated banishment," she smirks. Loki smirks as well.  
"So…you lied," he says, amused. She laughs in disbelief.  
"I did **not**!"  
"Mmm, yes, you did."  
"No! I **didn't**!"  
"Yes, you did."  
"Okay! I am **not** having a conversation about lies with the God of Mischief," she declares, causing him to smile softly.

Coming from someone other than himself, it was somewhat relieving to know that he was still remembered by something.

That he was still considered someone.

"On the contrary, love. I am the one person you **can** have this conversation with," he says. She turns to him, half-believing they were actually discussing this.

She gives in, because, somehow, it felt safe to do so.

"Okay, fine! I lied. But it was the only way I could get them to let you go," she defends.  
"Darling, I'm not judging. Now…tell me **why** you sought my release," he draws.  
"This again!" she exclaims. "I told you! Because your brother asked me to!"  
"Well, you see, one of the perks of **being** the God of Mischief is that I can **always** …tell when you're lying," he states. Her eyes widen. She gulps. Then rejoices once seeing that they'd arrived at their destination.  
"We're here!" she declares happily, causing him to chuckle at how relieved she sounded.

They were only a few miles outside the city, surrounded by open roads, farms, and greenery. A forest loomed in the distance of the open-field stables.

The two head inside. Snow greets the stable-boy, who'd seen her once before. He quite obviously seemed intimidated by Loki, something that only seemed to thrill Snow, internally at least. There was something about his air of confidence that was unnervingly appealing.

The stable-boy showed them to the horses. Once inside, and he explained what each horse was capable of, Loki found himself drawn to Nightshade, the slim, fast one. He looked firm and ready. Loki admired it greatly.

As Snow planned with the stable-boy, she glimpsed Loki petting the horse's face. The scene played at her heart-strings, remembering how gentle his touch could be when he wanted it to be.

After getting them saddled, the two lead their horses outside, and mount them with ease. "Ready?" she asks, smirking.  
"As I'll ever be," he retorts.

And at that, they're off, storming like wind through leaves, and their hearts in the sky,

carefree.

And when they raced, and Snow saw how liberated he was, it was alluring, making it hard to think that, just a few months back, he was out to strive for war.

It was sad to **know** , that a soul as his, had been broken so cruelly, he'd turned into someone he was not.

But the pieces were coming back together, she could see. And he could feel it.

And though Loki hated relying on anyone other than himself, he would be a fool to deny that he never would have seen the sun's light had it not been for her, and, hilariously, the Stark as well.

Snow then led him to the forest. They left the horses outside as he followed her curiously.

As she waltzed in front of him, full of excitement and life, a gorgeous grin on her glowing face, her soft locks bouncing with every step, and bright eyes glimmering when turned to his.

In that very moment, Loki knew, he'd follow her anywhere.

The sound of rushing water catches his attention, and soon, he is led to a clearing in the forest, where a small fountain was rushing to fill the pond beneath, and the sun was high above, making way to set.

Snow removed her shoes, and hurried to the water, allowing its cold flow to wash over her bare feet. She momentarily turned to Loki, to see him standing behind, eyeing around contently. Then his eyes fell on her, and his smile brightened.

She turned away, hiding a blush, but Snow was anything but shy, and all she was feeling right now, was this rush of excitement.

To Loki's shock, the White pulled her shirt off, then stripped down to her under garments. She knows he's looking, and it was anything but unsettling, causing her to smirk mischievously.

She turned to him once more. "Come on!" she beckoned. But all he could do, was stand there, and watch as she moved in, allowing the waters to engulf her form.

Once inside, she turned back, grinning at him as he followed suit, and she heartedly tried not to stare at his broad, muscular figure.

Just before reaching her, she splashed him. He stood for a second, amused by her childish play, before retorting.

Laughter arose through the skies that watched content. They stayed at it for like five minutes before Loki disappeared underneath, then jumped her from behind, causing her to leap in surprise, then burst into a fit of giggles.

Still in his arms, the laughter fades. They grow still, their hearts race, and they pull closer. Their lips touch softly, swaying so smoothly as they savored every moment, allowing their minds to comprehend the course of action they insisted on taking at every other turn, wondering why it felt so liberating,

so…

important.

They pulled closer. He slithers his hands around her bare body, causing her to moan against his lips at his cool, numbing touch, and he tightened his grip, as if wanting to hear it again.

She wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him closer till no space remained between them as their lips swayed passionately against one another. And it was like fire and ice.

Loki pulls away, allowing her to regain her breath as he worked his way down her jaw, trailing kisses down her neck. Her breathing quickened. She shut her eyes and subconsciously leaned aside to aid him, entwining her fingers in his hair.

She felt a fire rise in her chest, and she wanted him to kiss her again. She pulled his face up and crashed her lips onto his ferociously, causing him to exhale longingly.

They pulled apart, completely breathless, grinning as if being this happy was a crime, causing them to laugh from excitement.

When their laughter died down, Snow noted how dark it was getting, a chill of cold biting her skin. She locked eyes with his once more. "We should get going," she smirks. He nods slowly.

"After you."

XXXXX

The days that followed were nothing less of peaceful. Loki and Snow spent most of the time together, in the kitchen, the library, one of their rooms, wherever.

Snow had been giving Loki more intel on her job, and took his opinion in many cases. She'd surprisingly discovered that he had, if only slightly evident, the potential to run a company without it tumbling to the ground. And she could almost glimpse, before himself, a real future for him on earth.

Tony would call to check in whenever he got the chance. And the two were constantly asking him how things went with Britany, and he'd always say that he hadn't met her yet.

Lately, they'd been hearing of a terrorist named the Mandarin. They saw on the news when the Stark idiotically insulted him live.

They called and scolded him. He told them it would be fine, yet, a day later,

it happened.

Three days from Tony's departure, they saw the news,

and it shook them to their cores.

Both of them.

Tony's house in Malibu had been attacked. There was barely anything left of it.

And what of their friend?

XXXXX

"Tony!" Snow exclaims. The Stark turns from staring out into the horizon by the great tree, attempting to figure out where he was, and slightly wondering if he was dead.

She rushes over and engulfs him in a tight hug. It shocks him a bit, but he returns it in confusion. "Oh my god! Are you okay?! What happened?!" she asks warily.  
"I…I'm fine. Don't worry…about me-is this the valley?" he asks suddenly. She rolls her eyes.  
"Yes. What happened, Tony?" she questions seriously.  
"Well, Ieee made an enemy, you might say," he winces. She cocks an eyebrow. "Anyways, it might be…a while before I can come back. Best he thinks I'm dead till I can figure out how to deal with him. But don't worry, we're working on it," he assures.  
"We?"  
"Long story. How've you guys been?" he asks.  
"We're fine-"  
"You sure? Loki behaving himself?"  
" **Yes** , Tony. Tell me where you are. I'll come help."  
"No. I'm doing this on my own."  
"Bu-"  
"Snow. It's not open for discussion. I'll be fine! I have help. I'll be back before you know it."

A long moment of silence passes as she glares intently, and he glares back, utterly serious. She sighs tiredly, trusting he was capable, but still concerned.

"…Okay…Just…be careful," she tells worriedly. He smirks.  
"Always am."

XXXXX

 _Some time later, on Asgard._

Thor sits in his room, angry tears streaming down his face. He wipes them away furiously as he readied himself.

He could not do this on his own.

He would need help.

He would need his brother.

XXXXXXXXXX


	19. Author's Note 2

You know what comes next...'Thor: The Dark World' baby!

One word to describe it: Awesome!

Stay tuned, and check out my other stories! I guarantee, you'll love them!


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